Pokémon Reset Bloodlines: Steven Interlude
by Viroro-kun
Summary: Spin-off of Pokémon Reset Bloodlines. It's a Champion's duty to protect their region, and Steven knows that. As a menace thought to be defeated rises again, he's forced into an alliance with the Draconids and a trainer-to-be. Steven now has to reconsider what he and others can do for the next generation. [Knowledge of the main story is suggested, but not essential]
1. Chapter 1

Steven Stone was many things. The heir of the prestigious Devon Corporation, a highly-renown expert of geology, evolutionary stones and even Mega Stones, and the well-liked and respected Champion of the Hoenn region. Too bad 'patient' wasn't one of them.

Dealing with the executive side of the Devon Corporation was among the most boring jobs possible for him. Just that day, he had to take part in three business meetings for the next model of PokéNav Plus, some surveys for new potential deals and markets to expand on, and sign _a lot_ of paperwork.

Steven sighed and slouched over his father's desk, keeping up just the bare minimum of a dignified pose in case anyone barged into the room. He wished he could've said no and went to explore the depths of Mt. Chimney like he planned, but with his father busy setting up the Stone Foundation, there weren't many other people he could task with taking the reins of the company until he returned.

Steven shook his head and straightened himself and his clothes. It was no use being annoyed at it: if he had to keep working, then he might as well try to enjoy it.

His eyes fell back on the papers on his desk, several authorizations for some upcoming projects, that needed to be signed in more than one place. And stamped, too. Upon realizing that, his willpower melted away as he slouched back on his workplace.

Thankfully for him, right then there were two knocks on the door, and Steven sprung to attention. "Come in."

The door opened, and his father's secretary entered the room, shifting between a clipboard and Steven. "Mister Stone, the classroom of the Rustboro Trainer School is here. They are waiting for you."

Steven nodded, raising from his chair and adjusting his suit. It was a small favor his old friend Roxanne had asked him: she needed an affordable and close place for a school trip, and he was happy to schedule one at the headquarters of the Devon Corporation. He couldn't deny to be curious to see if there were any interesting kids among the next generation of trainers, as well. Plus, it was one way of staying away from further paperwork.

"Alright then. Do you mind keeping track of the paperwork in my absence? It shouldn't take long." Steven nudged at the pile of documents stashed on the desk, dread running down his spine.

The secretary nodded. "Of course, sir."

"Thank you." Steven smiled and walked out of the room and down a flight of stairs, ready to meet with Roxanne's current pupils.

* * *

Hoenn's sun shone as bright as usual outside the main building of the Devon Corporation. A few steps from the entrance and inside the inner courtyard, about fifty schoolchildren were barely being reined in by their poor professors, including a few well-known faces from his time as a student and trainer.

Steven strode outside in a practiced and dignified fashion, as befitting of his role and position. He gave a glance to the class accompanied by a brief wave, stopped right in front of them, and cleared his throat before he pulled off his best smile. All the kids sprung back to attention, eyes glued on his figure.

"Welcome to the Devon Corporation. I'm Steven Stone, son of the CEO Joseph Stone and the current Champion of the Hoenn League, and it will be a pleasure for me to show you our latest developments in terms of technology for human and Pokémon use."

Introductions over, Steven turned around and led them inside the finely decorated corridors of the company's headquarters. Behind him, he could hear the children whispering to each other, mostly about how awesome it was to meet the Champion and to be right next to him, and possibly ask an autograph, and even a few outliers that were wondering how loaded his family was.

Steven couldn't help but chuckle at their childish enthusiasm, and after a short while they finally reached their destination: a room on the first floor of the building, with several computers, papers, and men in white labcoats talking to each other more or less loudly while sharing machines and other weird contraptions. Steven stopped right in the middle of it and faced the students once again.

"This is our Science Room, where our scientists debate our latest projects, compare notes, and generally work in tandem for the betterment of our products. I'd like to be more in-depth about what's being produced here right now, but we have to keep our projects away from prying eyes." He smiled, clasping his hands together as he gestured to the staff. "That said, I instructed our kind scientists here to give you an overview on our latest released projects, what led us to start working on it, and the many ways the Devon Corporation guarantees the quality of its products, alongside their applications."

The scientists stepped forward, wearing smiles matching his own. However, as the presentation continued, Steven couldn't ignore all the annoyed looks and yawns from selected members of the crowd.

Steven sighed and stepped ahead. "And after the theoretic part is over, I will make sure to show you the effectiveness of our products in a friendly battle between me and your principal."

Unsurprisingly that was enough to bring everyone back to attention and make everyone whisper to each other once again as they all seemed far more enthusiastic to approach the scientists and study the provided sample devices. Steven sighed again, but seeing several students genuinely interested to know more was enough to bring his smile back as he leaned over the wall.

"You really know how to get kids interested."

Steven turned to the side, seeing a familiar formally dressed girl smiling his way. Roxanne, principal and teacher of the Rustboro Trainer School and one of his oldest and dearest friends.

He closed his eyes and chuckled. "Let's be honest, they are all more excited to meet the Hoenn Champion than to see a glorified commercial for Devon products."

"Right." Roxanne laughed briefly as well. She swiftly turned serious however, glancing over to the students. "Still, thank you for allowing this to happen. The other teachers were all in agreement that with our ex-student turning into a runaway, it was better to not move too far from Rustboro for our school trip."

Steven looked over his friend, turning serious. It was impossible not to know who she referred to, with how often search parties were formed to look for him.

"Wally, was it?" Folding his arms, Steven contemplated the floor. "I hope he won't put himself in danger now."

Roxanne sighed, rubbing her arm. "I hope so too. Kids can be extremely reckless."

"How can I not know? We've been kids ourselves, after all." Spying the students himself, Steven smiled. "I envy you. I wouldn't be able to take care of all these kids at once, personally."

"I just do what we must. It's the duty of the old guard to prepare the next generation as well as possible."

"It's weird to think of ourselves as the 'old guard' now."

"Yeah, it feels like yesterday that I destroyed your Beldum during our first trainer battle." Roxanne chuckled and stared him down smugly.

Steven replied with a just as smug smirk. "I gave you payback for that in my last Gym battle here in Rustboro. And don't forget who's the Champion here."

"Right, right." Roxanne barely suppressed a giggle before she returned serious, eyes back on her students. "Still, time passes, and things change. And we must ensure the change is for the better."

Steven nodded in response. "Well said."

At that moment, however, something caught Steven's attention: a bit distant from the rest of the student body, someone had just snuck into a nearby corridor. He frowned briefly as he realized where that led.

"Looks like someone got curious here." Steven stood again and adjusted his suit before giving Roxanne a glance. "I'll be back in a bit, alright?"

Roxanne nodded, and Steven walked away towards the nearby hall.

* * *

A few corridors and turns later, Steven found himself right behind the curious kid. A short, green-haired boy searching everywhere while jotting down information on a small notebook. He seemed quite enraptured by the paintings and statues lining up the place, to the point he didn't even notice Steven yet. Such genuine curiosity brought a smile on the Champion's face, but he quickly turned serious as he realized where they were.

He gently tapped the boy's shoulder and cleared his throat. "I think someone has walked too far here."

The boy snapped to attention and turned around, stepping back with eyes wide and face pale. He quickly gulped and adjusted his pose, then made an apologetic bow.

"S-sorry, mister Champion sir! I didn't mean to go somewhere I shouldn't, I was just curious about what was here, and it's my first time here in the Devon headquarters, and-"

Steven gave him a lighthearted laugh before raising his arms. The kid stopped stammering and shut up, fidgeting in place and almost sweating.

"Hey, hey, slow down. You wouldn't be the first person to sneak around here." Steven gazed at the corridor with nostalgia. "As a kid, me and my Beldum constantly tried to get into the reserved areas to see what my father was up to."

The boy tilted his head, blinking. "R-really?"

"Yeah, and I did much worse, too." He chuckled again, and was glad to see the boy much less tense than before. Steven kneeled at his height. "What's your name?"

"S-Sawyer." The boy blushed and looked the other way.

"Nice to meet you, Sawyer. I'm sure your curiosity will be a great asset once you start your trainer journey." Steven placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's better if we go back with the rest of the class, however. There are top secret projects from here on out, and the place is heavily guarded and restricted. Only people like me and my father are granted access and passwords."

"Huh, really?" Sawyer blinked and looked back to the other end of the corridor. "Because I just saw someone leave from there."

Steven froze, flinching for just a second before he regained his calm. He frowned and looked further ahead, confused. "What...?"

Without further words, Steven rushed down the corridor, with Sawyer following in tow. It didn't take long for them to find a security door cracked open and a couple of guards unconscious on the ground, with every security camera fried. The Champion paled as he approached the safe, finding it open without any sign of break in.

"Impossible." Steven squinted, observing the slightly charred touchpad at the door's side. "The only people that know the code are me and my father, how did they open this?"

Sawyer looked at the touchpad himself, rubbing his chin as he compared with his notebook. "These are Magnemite's magnet burn marks. Whoever it was must've brute forced codes using one."

Steven tried not to grumble. He had told his father several times that they needed a better security system, but that was not the time to think about that.

He walked inside, finding a lot of scattered documents and several prototypes and replicas carelessly thrown around, and immediately searched for anything missing. All the while, Sawyer remained in wait outside of the vault and tried to remain calm.

While a lot had been moved out of the way or broken, nothing in particular seemed to have been stolen. Steven was about to feel slightly relieved until he noticed an empty box on the side, with several documents stashed inside. He recognized it, and frowned as he grabbed the box.

"Not good, the Flower is missing."

"The Flower?"

"Something very dangerous." Steven put the box aside and steeled his gaze as he folded his arms.

The Champion stood there and thought, eyes closed. If the event had happened a few minutes ago, they could probably still find the culprit, but with no pictures or anything it would've been like searching for a needle in a haystack. If only someone had seen him-

Steven blinked, then turned back to Sawyer and stared at him.

"Tell me, did you see the thief in the face? Can you recognize him?"

Sawyer didn't reply immediately, but after digesting the question he gave a firm nod. "I think I can."

"Good then. Come with me!"

The Champion didn't waste time as he ran out of the room, with Sawyer following close behind. They didn't have any second to waste.

* * *

Nothing seemed to be amiss around the entrance of the Devon Corporation's headquarters: a lot of people, mostly salarymen or scientists employed by the company, continued to move in and out of the building at a measured pace, all completely absorbed in their tasks and without even sparing a glance to their coworkers unless it was absolutely needed. The Devon Corporation was a perfectly oiled machine and everyone knew their importance in the hierarchy, and they all knew more work was the key to better rewards.

Unfortunately, such diligence also meant that almost no one seemed to have noticed the man wearing a trenchcoat and conspicuously looking left and right, which was getting at most a few confused glances before the workers returned to their current projects. And thus, the man could continue on to the entrance unperturbed. As he finally arrived just a few steps from the door, he even allowed himself to grin before pacing quicker towards the exit.

"Stop right there."

Hearing that stern voice, the man paled and grinded to a halt, and instantly perked his head up. From the second floor, a shiny Metagross floated down, with a sharp-dressed man with silver hair and a youth dressed in green above it.

He quickly turned back to the entrance and rushed towards it, only to slam over the still-closed automatic doors. He fell on his back and stared at the door in confusion, only to notice the faint psychic outline surrounding it. The man clenched his fists and bared his teeth as he turned towards Steven and Sawyer, now hopping off of Metagross.

"It's him, right?" Steven nudged at Sawyer while Metagross continued to keep its stare aimed at the man, and a Psychic towards the door.

Sawyer squinted his eyes, and then nodded. "Yes, I recognize him."

"Good."

Steven pocketed his hands as he calmly approached the attempted runaway. His body was completely enveloped in a trenchcoat that would've been too warm even for Sinnoh, and he could spot the handle of the Flower just barely popping out of the disguise.

Steven's glare turned stern as he observed the man. "This doesn't have to end badly. If you give back what you stole now, you can probably end up with a few weeks of prison time at worst, maybe less. There's no reason to waste your life over a petty theft."

The man glared back at him with just as much intensity, and then he gave the Devon heir a bitter grin. "Tsk, easy for you to say. Who would dare to defy the Champion of the Hoenn region, after all?"

Silence fell as Steven waited. The man's grin morphed into an angry grimace, while his stare pierced through the Champion.

"You disgust me. You could change the region for the better, but all you and your cronies do is uphold the status quo." He placed a hand over his chest, glancing at the hidden Flower. "This device could've revolutionized the way we live our lives, you should know that."

"The price far exceeded the advantages." Steven steeled his gaze and matched the man's stare. These words felt familiar, but he couldn't lose his focus.

He gave a few more moments for the man to decide what to do, but no replies came. Steven sighed, and Metagross readied a Meteor Mash. "I guess this will end badly, then."

"Not at all." The man folded his arms as he grinned wider than ever. "Team Zenith is ready to change the world now."

Hearing that name, Steven flinched and widened his eyes. He quickly shook his head and focused back on the man, face tensed into a frown.

"Team Zenith?" He asked, clenching his fists.

The man didn't reply; instead, he let a Poké Ball slip from his sleeve. "Golbat, Haze!"

As soon as the Pokémon materialized, black mist covered the whole entrance. Sawyer and Steven covered their mouths and eyes as they started to cough, and even Metagross was surprised enough to drop the Psychic for just a second.

That proved more than enough time for the man and the Golbat to turn around and rush out of the open door, while Steven could barely make out their outlines through the fog. He steeled his gaze as the fog slowly dissipated out of the building.

He hadn't heard the name of Team Zenith in years, but whatever they had in mind couldn't be good. He had to stop them, and now.

"Steven, what's going on? What's all this smoke for?"

Even without seeing her, Roxanne's voice was unmistakable. He spared her a glance through the fog before hopping back on Metagross, silently thankful for its Clear Body ability.

"Sorry, I need to leave. Make sure nothing happens here!" Steven patted his starter's leg and looked straight ahead. "Metagross, let's go!"

Without even waiting for Roxanne's reply, Metagross hovered out of the Devon headquarters and straight towards Rustboro's streets. Only when he felt a weight hapzardly trying to stay balanced behind him did Steven realize he wasn't alone.

He turned around and found Sawyer rubbing his neck with a sheepish grin. The man gave him a resigned sigh, and then a stern look.

"Hop off, it's going to be dangerous."

Sawyer didn't yield, and instead gulped and smiled at the Hoenn Champion. "If it's dangerous, then I want to help. Two pairs of eyes are better than one, right?"

Steven studied the boy wordless, and even then Sawyer remained as calm as he could. With little time to choose and feeling the boy's determination, Steven sighed and gave him a resigned smile.

"Tell me if you see him," he said as he searched around.

Sawyer beamed and nodded vigorously. "Alright!"

The two scoured through Rustboro's busy streets from above, even if their search was impeded by the morning rush and general crowd gathering. In spite of their difficulties they continued, moving further past Rustboro's streets and towards Route 115 above the city, a hair breadth from the mountain range known as Meteor Falls.

And yet, throughout their search, they found nothing leading to their thief. Between getting lost in the crowd and possibly shedding his trenchcoat, the chances of finding him only grew slimmer the more time passed.

Steven rubbed his forehead and exhaled, before he tried looking around once more through the green field and brown hills. "This is bad."

The silent search would've continued unperturbed, had Sawyer not frowned and looked back towards Steven.

"That man said to be part of 'Team Zenith', right?" The boy tilted his head. "What's that?"

"Trouble, that's what it is." Steven continued to search, his gaze turning colder as he reminisced. "It was a rather well-known terrorist organization about a decade ago, responsible for many heists and attacks in Hoenn's major cities in an effort to find a way to control the legendary of the sky, Rayquaza, to bring forth a utopia for humans and Pokémon alike. I've faced its members myself during my Gym challenge, and risked my life more than once to stop their plans."

Sawyer blinked. "They were that dangerous?"

"Very much so." Steven shook his head as he contemplated the ground underneath. "And then one day they just disappeared. No one knows why, but they just stopped making themselves known. Many were worried that they planned something big, something that would truly change Hoenn forever, but it never happened. Given Team Magma and Team Aqua became active around that time, some people think Team Zenith's members split between them."

"If they haven't done anything in so long, why would they reappear now?"

"I don't know, but the way they stole the Flower was almost flawless." Steven squinted on any patch of grass he could find. "They clearly planned this for a long time."

Silence fell between the two again. Sawyer then gulped and shook his head. "I don't understand why someone would try to force the world to change."

"Many people have a certain vision of how the future has to be, and strive to make it a reality. It's just human nature." Steven's gaze turned even colder. "But no matter how noble your intentions are, it means nothing if other people have to suffer to make them real."

As more information and musings sunk in, Sawyer turned his head down. "This isn't looking good."

"It's not." Steven sighed. Then, however, he allowed himself to smile. "Though, looking back to it, Team Zenith was almost silly back then. Their grunts wore an all green attire styled like a dragon head with horns and fangs and a winged Z for a symbol, and kept screaming about how their utopia would become a reality. I appreciate some commitment to your gimmick, but they really pushed it at times."

As he heard Sawyer chuckle, Steven felt a tinge of relief. And then, he noticed Sawyer looking down wide-eyed.

"Wait, did they look like that?" The boy pointed down.

Steven observed there, and his expression matched Sawyer's. A guy dressed in a silly dragon coat get-up, holding something in his hands and running for his life.

"That's one of them!" The Champion said, frowning.

Sawyer scratched his head as he studied the man. "He doesn't seem to be the one we were following."

"But he could lead us to our mystery thief." Steven continued to stare at the Team Zenith grunt. "Let's follow him."

And thus, Metagross hummed quietly as it tailed after the grunt, trying their best to not be seen or heard. The grunt speed up his pace and never stopped, even as he seemed to become increasingly tired. Steven wondered why and then a sharp cry rose from the nearby mountains. Metagross and the grunt stopped at once, and then the man sprinted away as fast as he could. Steven tried to get back on the chase as he looked after the man, and then he heard another cry.

"Draco Meteor!"

Steven froze as he and Sawyer faced the incoming blast at their side. Metagross tilted that way as the hit came, and the world spun around Steven and Sawyer as Metagross fell toward the ground.

Steven and Sawyer clutched themselves at Metagross' sides, trying to make sense of the blur around them as a smell of smoke and brimstone filled their nostrils. Their view became greener the faster they got, and Steven clenched his fists.

Without fear, he grabbed Sawyer and jumped off Metagross, rolling over a grassy hill. He held the boy tight around himself until they finally slowed down, while he heard Metagross crashing and slamming on the ground. Steven felt dread running down his spine, but didn't let go of the boy until the momentum was gone.

Now still, Steven shook his head and looked over Sawyer while getting back up. "Are you alright?"

"Y-yeah." Sawyer gave a timid nod as he returned on his feet, shaken but not injured.

Now sure that the boy was fine, Steven quickly turned around and faced his Metagross, semi-buried at the end of a trail of upset grass and with more than a few bumps on its steely skin.

Steven rushed towards his partner, analyzing the injuries with only mild worry. "Metagross, are you alright?"

Metagross readjusted itself and hummed in affirmative, hovering over the ground. Steven sighed in relief, then applied some Full Restore for good measure while spying his surroundings.

"What was that?" Sawyer asked, gulping and gazing at the mountains while he dusted himself off.

"Draco Meteor, the ultimate Dragon-type move." Placing the used Full Restore aside, Steven stroked his chin. "Did they spot us? It's possible, but we would've probably noticed other Team Zenith grunts-"

"Sootopolitans!"

Steven and Sawyer froze as they turned back, finding several men and women dressed in traditional garb and staring straight at them. Ahead of the group was a woman with black hair and wearing a tattered brown coat, whose scarlet eyes pierced through them. At her side flew a Salamence, which didn't appear to have peaceful intentions.

"We finally found you!" The woman jabbed at them, glaring daggers and baring her teeth. "You infiltrated the Draconids' territory and stole our sacred lore! Give it back, or perish on the spot!"

As he observed the many people gathered ahead of him and Sawyer, Steven frowned. The situation had just gone from bad to worse.

He studied the men and women ahead, reminiscing of what he knew. Draconids, one of the most ancient tribes to have ever lived on Hoenn, and one with whom the mainland population of Hoenn, or 'Sootopolitans' as they referred to them as, had fought several territorial disputes and wars throughout the decades. One of the perks of being Wallace's best friend was to have a somewhat in-depth knowledge of the Sootopolitan and Draconids conflict from the ancient times to the present days, and as such, Steven was aware of just how complicated the issues were, and how both Sootopiltans and Draconids were at fault for the current tensions.

Of course, though, that wasn't the time for a history lesson, especially as the black-haired woman continued to stare through them.

"What, you aren't even saying anything?" She steeled her gaze as Salamence aimed. "Too scared to admit what you did?"

Steven shook his head and took a deep breath; prolonging the stalemate would've led nowhere. Anyone else would've probably attempted to fight back, starting a brawl and wasting valuable time on a misunderstanding, and that was exactly what they _didn't_ need with Team Zenith on the loose.

Thus, Steven gestured to Sawyer to stay put, and then stepped closer while raising both arms, hoping for the best.

"We haven't stolen anything from-"

"Liar!" The woman shouted, jabbing at him again. "We will force the truth out of you! Salamence, Draco Meteor!"

Steven and Sawyer flinched at once as the meteor shards were hurled straight towards them, only to crash on a blue barrier before they could hit. His heart racing, Steven gave a glance to his Metagross and received a wink in response, as his partner kept the Protect up as a precaution.

He then looked back at the gathered Draconids and sighed. Apparently, he was being too much of an optimist.

The woman observed the energy shield, and sneered. "I see you are as much of a coward as the rest of your kin."

"Sorry, but I happen to like my face." Steven frowned and folded his arms, staring back at her. "Also, neither I nor this child have come close to your territory today. I assume the actual thief was someone dressed in a green coat?"

"Correct." The Draconid bared her teeth. "And how would you know it?"

"Because they stole something incredibly valuable and dangerous from us too." He eyed the path through which the grunt had left. "And I have a hunch that your lore could also be dangerous if it fell in the wrong hands. These events might be connected."

The Draconids didn't respond immediately as Steven looked back at them. The Hoenn Champion could spot an ecletic range of emotion from the bunch ahead, from curiosity to confusion to fear, to utter rage and distrust from their apparent leader. For his part, Steven tried to remain still and strong, especially as Sawyer cowered behind him, even as he saw the Protect slowly fading around them.

After what felt like forever, the woman scoffed and continued to glare at them. "This sounds extremely convenient. Do you really expect us to buy it?"

"If we truly were the thieves, we wouldn't stick around like this, don't you think?" Steven asked back.

The woman seemed to ponder Steven's words as they continued to trade glances. As the Champion waited, he grabbed Sawyer's hand and gave him a smile, and was pleased to see Sawyer trembling much less.

Just then, the stalemate was broken as another Draconid rushed in between them, taking heavy breaths before facing the woman.

"Zinnia, we rounded up all the invaders! They are tied up in Meteor Village now!" The man said, rubbing off the sweat.

The now named Zinnia didn't reply as she went back to glare at Steven. Then, after studying him in silence, she scoffed.

"If you really aren't affiliated with these thieves, then you might be useful." She placed her arms on her hips. "You have no objections coming with us, I hope."

Steven shook his head. "Absolutely none. If you promise to not to fire another Draco Meteor at us, I will also ask my Metagross to lower the Protect."

"Good then." Zinnia turned around and walked back towards Meteor Falls. "Follow us."

The rest of the Draconids followed suit, and Steven's Metagross lowered the Protect as agreed while his trainer and Sawyer followed them. As the situation felt much less tense, Sawyer sighed in relief.

"Whew, that was close." He smiled as he glanced at the group leading the way. "Thank goodness they understood."

Said relief was short-lived as Steven continued to remain tense and on guard, and Sawyer looked at the Champion with a quizzical glance.

"We aren't out of trouble yet." Steven squinted his eyes towards Zinnia. "They're just moving the discussion somewhere where they'd have the advantage."

Sawyer paled, but Steven chuckled instead as he continued to follow the Draconds.

"Don't worry, I trust to be able to talk things over." Steven looked ahead with confidence. "The Draconids don't have the best reputation, but at least one of them is bound to understand us."

Sawyer blinked, then tilted his head. "How can you be so sure they will?"

"I travelled far and met enough people. You'd be impressed with how many things can be solved just by talking things over."

Sawyer didn't know what to say, and silence fell between the two as they made a beeline behind the Draconids. All the while, Steven hoped to not be trying his luck again.

* * *

The trek through the mountain would've normally been harsh, but the Draconids clearly knew their way around Meteor Falls as they guided Steven and Sawyer deeper inside the caverns through a series of tunnels semi-hidden between rocks and waterfalls.

After a short while, the tunnels grew progressively more open, until they reached a large cave with several traditional-looking houses lined up in a neat row. At the center stood a giant, gaping abyss the size of three Wailord, and all around several Draconids of all ages were going about their daily routines, with all of them aiming confused, terrified or angry stare at the two Sootopolitans.

Steven remained silent as he observed the Meteor Village's inhabitants and structures. At the same time, his younger companion had a much less restrained reaction to them.

"I heard about the Draconid people, but I didn't know they had an entire village here!" Sawyer said, jotting down notes like there was no tomorrow.

Steven sighed, then patted the youth's shoulder. "I'd not write anything if I were you. We're already walking on thin ice as it is."

Sawyer flinched, then pocketed his notebook and looked away, swallowing. "Sorry."

"No worries." Steven flashed him a smile, then spied the woman ahead of them. "So, Zinnia, right? Where are we going exactly?"

"You'll see soon," she said without even turning.

Steven steeled his gaze and exchanged another glance to Metagross, to which his partner replied with a nod. Steven was an optimist, but also a realist: even if he hoped to negotiate peacefully with the Draconids, that didn't mean he'd not be ready for a fight.

Fortunately, nothing worse than an odd look by some Draconids happened during the trek, and shortly after the group stopped in front of a fancier house than every other. Unprompted, all the Draconids kneeled and turned their heads down; Steven figured he should've followed, and so did Sawyer. Shortly after the doors opened, and a figure stepped out of the building.

Steven chanced a look, and found an woman looking very much like an older Zinnia walking with a cane, with grey hair in a similar hairstyle and a stern look on her face. The woman went through every Draconid before finally settling on Zinnia.

She pressed her cane down, and inched closer. "Did you manage to catch the thief?"

Zinnia rose and shook her head, not even daring to look in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Elder, we didn't." She shifted towards Steven and Sawyer, and her frown intensified. "However, we found some Sootopolitans who claim to have also got something stolen by the same people. They want to help us."

Steven couldn't help but notice how disgusted Zinnia sounded, but let it slide as he found the Elder staring at him. He waited as she studied him, sweat pouring down his face.

And then, she chuckled.

"My my, isn't he a silver-haired dreamboat." She continued to giggle as she turned back to Zinnia. "You're really spoiling me, you know!"

Zinnia turned five shades of red. "Grannie!"

The Elder laughed it off further, as Zinnia desperately tried to keep the mystique up. It didn't work as well as she hoped, while Steven just blinked in confusion.

"Come on, you should loosen up on your job." The Elder turned back to the building. "Aster's also waiting for you inside."

Zinnia recomposed herself and sighed. "Thank you."

The girl walked inside, and the Elder faced Steven again, her gaze stern once more.

"So, Sootopolitan." She squinted her eyes. "Was what my granddaughter said true?"

"It is." Steven nodded, holding the Elder's gaze. "At the cost of sounding rude, however, I think we should discuss these matters quickly. Our enemies might be preparing their plan as we speak."

"Nothing good comes for those who rush into things." The Elder gave Steven her back as she stepped towards her house. "Please, come inside. The best way to discuss this is in front of a good cup of tea."

And thus the old Draconid left, leaving only Steven and Sawyer outside. The Champion contemplated the building for a while before he recalled Metagross and went back to Sawyer.

"Wait for me here and don't do anything that might earn you Draconid ire, alright?" He grabbed a Cherish Ball from his pocket, and placed it in Sawyer's hands. "In case anything happens, use this."

"Alright." Sawyer nodded, clutching the Poké Ball tight as he studied it.

Steven smiled and turned back to the Elder's house, taking a deep breath. He then entered it slowly, still hoping for the best.

* * *

The interior of the house wasn't anything special: it was a simple house with a small kitchen sink and a door leading to what Steven assumed was the bedroom, and outside of a few statues in the image of Rayquaza or a Delta symbol, there was nothing that could've explicitly pegged it as a Draconid home.

Steven and the Elder were sitting across each other on the central table, and the Hoenn Champion was staring intently at the tea cup the Elder had just served him.

"It's not poisoned, if that's what you are worried about." The Elder folded her arms while she stared at Steven. "Unlike certain people, we Draconids don't like subterfuges."

Steven refused to take the bait and sipped the tea. He replied to the Elder with a stare of his own.

"I'm not here to debate the tensions between my people and yours." Steven furrowed his brow. "I just know that we can't let Team Zenith do as they please."

"So, it was Team Zenith." The Elder drank some tea herself. "Is Zevie still their leader?"

Steven bore his stare into the Elder. "He might be. How do you know him?"

"I've been around for a long time. I was there when the city known as Mauville fell, and I was there for all the atrocities that followed." Her eyes were briefly clouded before she shook her head. "And years ago, we considered allying with Team Zenith to put an end to you Sootopolitans."

"Lovely." Steven tried to hide his grimace. "And did you go through with it?"

"No, because Zevie proved to be as treacherous as the rest of your kind. He was only interested in obtaining our Draconid lore, just like everyone else."

"One of their goals was to take control of Rayquaza, so it's no surprise." Steven folded his arms as he placed the tea down. "This lore keeps being brought up, though. What is it?"

The Elder steeled her gaze. "It's a secret passed on from Lorekeeper to Lorekeeper, and something no outsider should know. Especially not a Sootopolitan."

"That's not helpful, you know."

"Our previous Lorekeeper died to keep Sootopolitans from stealing it." The Elder stared through Steven with unmatched intensity. "For all we know, this is just a clever plan to get us to speak about it and then eliminate us. I've seen the lenghts you've gone to get rid of Draconids."

Steven didn't reply. He could've said that he meant no harm to them, sure, but history really wasn't on his side. The Draconids had a lot of reasons to distrust him.

Even with that admission, however, the Elder's behavior was quickly becoming grating. He needed to find a way to get them on their side, at least until Team Zenith was dealt with, but the 'how' kept eluding him.

Right then, the doors of the house were slammed open, and Steven and the Elder both turned around. At the door stood a young child, three years of age at most, with black hair and a big grin plastered on her face as she ran towards the Elder.

"Granny, play! Play!" She hugged the old lady's leg and stared at her with bright eyes.

The Elder sighed and grabbed the little girl, placing her away. "Now now, Aster, what have we said about barging in while I'm speaking with others?"

"Mommy boring! Want granny!" Aster pouted, with the most adorable glare.

Right then, Zinnia barged in herself and grabbed Aster, letting out a frustrated sigh as she eyed her grandmother. "Sorry, she's starting to get very energetic."

"That's not a problem, you gotta enjoy those years while they last." The Elder smiled at Zinnia, then patted Aster's head. "We'll all play together once this business is over, alright?"

"Yay!" Aster beamed, arms up in the air.

And with that, Zinnia and Aster left as soon as they came. Steven looked after them with a smile as Aster kept trying to escape her mother's clutches.

"She's a beautiful child." He turned back to the Elder. The woman didn't appear particularly happy, but still smiled back.

"Yeah, she is. Almost makes me forget of that guy from Rustboro." The Elder's hands clenched tightly around her cane. "Unfortunately, we didn't manage to find and kill him for what he did to Zinnia."

She didn't specify why, but as Steven noticed Zinnia sending him another glare, he understood.

He perked his head down and shook his head. "I'm sorry to hear this."

"You should be." The Elder's stare only grew colder. "You definitely know the history between Draconids and Sootopolitans, I can sense that. Why do you think we should trust you, then?"

Steven thought things over, eyes locked onto the Elder's. He needed a quick way out of these tensions, and with history not on his side, he didn't have much he could do.

He sighed, and then gave her a solemn smile. The only option left was the easiest and hardest at once to take.

"I don't want to force you to trust me. I understand that you have your reasons, recent and ancient, to not see Sootopolitans in a good light." Steven frowned. "However, it's the only way we have to save the world from Team Zenith. They are planning something right now, and we will all lose if their plans reach completation."

He grabbed some pictures on his pocket, and then placed them on the table: they all showed a small, crystal-like device the size of a Nanab Berry from several angles, siphoning some kind of energy in a few of the images.

"This is called the 'Flower'. It's a small prototype of a portable device based on some ancient scripts of the Kalosian King AZ, which outlined the blueprints of his so-called 'Ultimate Weapon', an alchemical cannon powered by Infinity Energy, the inner force of the Pokémon." Steven folded his arms, pointing to each picture in succession. "The Devon Corporation's aim was to use it as a self-sustaining battery, capable of absorbing Infinity Energy in small quantities from Pokémon to power other devices. If it had worked, we would've obtained a clean, easily renewable energy source that would've solved many crisis our world is victim of.

"But the tests didn't go well. The Flower was too powerful, and the Infinity Energy absorbed often left the Pokémon on the verge of death. We tried to fine-tune it, but it never reached acceptable levels." Steven clnched his fists, and his stare grew colder. "We couldn't allow our progress to be built on the blood of innocent Pokémon, and thus the project was shelved. That's the kind of item Team Zenith stole from the Devon Corporation, and one they can now use with impunity."

The Elder observed the pictures with interest, then looked back at Steven sternly. "This sounds like confidential information. We might make use of it once this is all over, you know."

"Consider this a show of trust." Steven smirked. "I trust you won't pull any moves towards this item, and I want to hope you'd trust me enough to discuss of your lore now. I swear on the good name of the Stone family that I will make no attempt to claim it as my own."

The Elder paused, shifting between the pictures and Steven. The Champion waited with unease, even as he continued to smirk.

And then, the Elder laughed, and Steven tilted his head. The old lady recomposed herself quickly, and smiled.

"Your naivety is almost endearing, but I have to commend you for your honesty." She faced the door and nodded to herself. "I think you earned the right to learn of our lore, from our very own Lorekeeper."

As if on cue, Zinnia came back inside. After handling Aster to her grandmother, she turned back to Steven with reluctance. Steven couldn't help but feel a tinge of relief even with that, however, as Zinnia closed her eyes and cleared her throat.

"Very well, Sootopolitan. Listen carefully, because I won't repeat it twice." She stared at Steven, held a finger up, and finally narrated.

"Our people owe their life to the Dragon Lord, the one you call Rayquaza. When the super-ancient Pokémon Kyogre and Groudon rampaged through Hoenn millennia ago, it was the Lord that saved us all by quelling their anger. It is said that the first Lorekeeper aided It in battle, wielding a rainbow stone to unleash a power unlike any other."

Steven crooked an eyebrow. "Rayquaza was the first Pokémon to Mega Evolve?"

"Such is the history we were passed on." Zinnia steeled her gaze. "That is not the only history or prophecy contained in our lore, however. We have records of alternate worlds, disasters for our region yet to come, and the many times the Dragon Lord saved us in the hour of need. Among them, the stolen paper detailed a very specific incident. One connected to the very meteors these mountains took their names from."

"That's not really surprising. Hoenn has always been a target for space debris."

"No 'space debris' has ever been like this." Zinnia took a scrool out of her cape, and spreaded it over the table. "This is an ancient depiction of the item, from a different part of our lore."

Steven studied the scroll, portraying a large rock with a crystal-like composition. The way it was drawn made it seem shining, with several tentacle-like appendages protruding from its shape.

"A giant rock?" Steven stroked his chin, intrigued.

"Many Sootopolitans refer to it as such. We prefer the term 'Megalith'." Zinnia sneered, then turned to the side. "It was an object of unfathomable power, capable of attracting the Pokémon of legends and somehow in search to similar energy sources. It had a will of its own, and almost brought Hoenn to the brink of destruction as Groudon and Kyogre warred to claim its power."

"But then Rayquaza arrived, correct?"

"Indeed. The Dragon Lord used the power of the Dragon Ascent to shatter the Megalith in several pieces, ensuring that it could never become whole again. Peace for the Hoenn region returned, and it appeared to be the end." Zinnia shook her head, arms folded. "However, the Megalith would always mantain its will. Each fragment would try to find their way towards the others, trying to return whole and gather energy again. And if it ever regained its full power, it would most certainly spell the end for the Hoenn region and the world at large."

Zinnia interrupted the narration with an air of finality. Silence fell in the room as Steven absorbed all the information.

"Hmm." Steven squinted his eyes. "The Flower and lore on the Megalith. A device and an artifact capable of storing and unleashing incredible amount of energy."

"These freaks are planning to make Hoenn explode or something?" Zinnia asked, scoffing.

"It'd make no sense. They wanted to improve the world, not destroy it."

Zinnia shrugged. "When something doesn't work your way, just destroy it and pretend it never existed. Typical Sootopolitan reasoning."

Steven suppressed a reply as he frowned towards the Elder again.

"You caught some Team Zenith members, right? I'd like to talk with them."

Right then, Zinnia stepped in and glared furiously at the Hoenn Champion. "They invaded Draconid territory, they will be judged under our own rules and-"

"Yes, you can talk with them." The Elder stepped in, giving Zinnia a stern look. "There will be no harm done in questioning them before the execution."

Zinnia paused, looking at her grandmother in shock. She glared back at Steven and then let out a heavy sigh.

"Well then." Zinnia turned around, one arm raised. "Follow us, Sootopolitan."

The Lorekeeper, the Elder and Aster walked out of the house. Steven allowed himself to sigh in relief: there had been a few close calls, but things were looking up for now. Sure, that talk of 'execution' wasn't particularly encouraging, but if he was able to earn the Elder's trust, maybe he'd be able to convince her to spare the grunts as well. He hoped to, at least.

He quickly focused again on the main task however as he rose and followed the Draconids, preparing himself to meet the grunts.

* * *

As he sat under the front porch of the Elder's house and waited for Steven's return, Sawyer lost himself in his thoughts and observed each Draconid house around him.

The fact that he couldn't write down anything he saw was quite sad, even if he understood why. His eyes went back to the Cherish Ball in his hands, studying its red coloration before he smiled.

That morning, he thought he would've simply enjoyed a look into the inner workings of the Devon Corporation. Something interesting, sure, but ultimately run-of-the-mill school stuff. Not even a few hours later, he was now in the middle of a secret village in Meteor Falls, possibly involved in an adventure to save the world. It was dangerous and risky, but living an adventure like that was an once-in-a-lifetime experience he was glad to be part of: every kid dreamed to become a trainer or a hero at some point, and Sawyer was no exception.

It was then that a familiar green-haired kid came back to Sawyer's mind, one he hadn't seen in a while since he lent him his first notebook. Sawyer looked back to the ground, and sighed.

Between them Wally had always been the most forward and proactive, no matter what his asthma prevented him to do. He really hoped he and Ralts were doing well wherever they went, and that they could meet again eventually.

Sawyer closed his eyes, and his smile widened. If he concentrated, he could almost hear Wally leading Ralts to battle, both pumped and ready to battle. On the other end of the battlefield he stood, with a Treecko just as ready to fight for him.

Sawyer and Wally locked gazes, grinned and pointed at each other. Their Pokémon rushed against each other, and the fight began in earnest.

Both Pokèmon did their best, dodging and hitting at a quick pace, sizing up the other and-

"You call that an attack? I didn't even feel it!"

Well, that didn't sound like Wally, or even Ralts.

Sawyer snapped out of his daydream, glancing around with a quizzical look, only to find nothing. He was ready to dismiss it when he heard other grunts and yells not too far from the Elder's house.

Turning that way, Sawyer gulped. Steven had told him to wait, sure, but something weird was going on, and his curiosity was piqued. And thus, Sawyer walked around the building, and shortly afterwards found himself staring at an ongoing battle.

On one side stood a brown-haired Draconid boy just a few years younger than him, wearing a sleeveless white shirt and several layers of rugs underneath. At his side stood a Swablu, and it and the boy were grinning at once as they stared at their opponent, an angry-looking Bagon ready to charge at them.

Sawyer froze and hid behind a nearby rock. The boy, however, showed no such fear.

Instead he pointed ahead, and his grin widened. "Now, use Gust!"

Swablu flapped its wings in unison, blowing the wind towards Bagon; the Dragon-type rolled to the side, lowered its head, and sprung forward for a Headbutt.

The Swablu circled around the Bagon, and the diminutive dragon crashed right into a rock. It let out a shrill cry and rubbed its armored head, and Swablu seized the moment.

Another gust took Bagon by surprise and sent it sprawling on the ground. The Pokémon glowered and tried to stand up, only for the boy to tackle him back down and holding him there. The Bagon struggled to break free, but the Draconid's hold remained firm.

He laughed alongside his Swablu as he patted Bagon's head. "Give up, Bagon! You're mine now!"

Sawyer blinked in confusion, as Bagon shrieked and Swablu's trainer kept him on the ground. The whole way that Bagon was acting was weird, but that boy's behavior certainly topped it. He wasn't sure if to call him admirable or foolish for getting that close to dangerous Pokémon, but he couldn't deny that kid had guts. He inched a bit closer, trying to hold back the need to ask him questions, and-

The boy looked over at him, and Sawyer froze. He had exposed himself.

The Draconid tilted his head, confusion replaced by irritation as he scowled. "Who the heck are you?"

Dread crawled down Sawyer's back. "Oh, uhm, I'm-" Sawyer gulped and shut up, sweat pouring down his face. He was no liar, and that was the worst possible moment to tell him the truth.

In fact, the boy realized it anyway as he saw Sawyer's clothes, and irritation made way to anger.

"I get it! You're a Sootopolitan!" The boy bared his teeth and pointed to Sawyer. "Swablu, Gust!"

Sawyer fell ahead, and the gust flew right above him. Sawyer raised his hands, skin pale and eyes wide, and then rose back up.

"I mean no harm! Really!" He shouted with a grimace.

The boy glowered at the Sootopolitan. "Like I'd believe you! Get out, I'm busy here-"

And right then, Bagon burst back on its feet and screamed for its freedom. The boy fell and tumbled over the floor, and Sawyer rushed at his side in worry.

"Are you okay?" He offered a hand, and the boy slapped it away with a town.

"Don't touch me!" The boy's stare pierced through Sawyer. "You Sootopolitans want us all dead!"

"I don't-"

Bagon let out a war cry, and the two kids turned to see Bagon about to charge again.

The Draconid frowned and clenched his jaw. "Go for Peck, Swablu!"

Swablu flew ahead and aimed its beak, but Bagon sprung faster and headbutted it out of the way. The Flying-type crashed on the ground, and fell unconscious.

The boy stared on with a gaping mouth. "No! Swablu!"

Bagon sent a look to his defeated opponent, then moved back to the boys. The Draconid shuddered and stepped back, but Sawyer held firm, frozen as the Bagon sized them up.

Sawyer clipped off Steven's Cherish Ball and clenched it, then frowned ahead. Inexperience or not, he had to do something now.

He aimed, gulped, and then tossed the Poké Ball. "I choose you!"

The crimson ball popped open, and a Beldum materialized. A silver-colored Beldum.

Sawyer widened his eyes and then shook his head. That wasn't the moment to be excited at a shiny Pokémon.

He observed the loaned Steel-type, and then again Bagon. He had a good enough idea of what Bagon could do, and indeed, he charged again for an headbutt- and passed Beldum as he sprinted towards him.

Sawyer flinched as Bagon ran closer, then eyed at Beldum, going over what he knew it. "Uhm, use-"

Too late. Bagon was about to strike, and Sawyer held his arms up.

The impact never came. Instead, Beldum shimmered a metallic hue and slammed into Bagon's chest. The ground cracked as Bagon meteored down, whimpering weakly as he got back up.

Sawyer held a hand over his racing heart, then saw Beldum giving him a nod. Sawyer understood and nodded back, then focused again on Bagon. The Pokémon seemed fatigued and quite more angry than before, and yet seemed ready for another go. Beldum circled around the Bagon and hummed quietly in wait.

And thus, Sawyer studied Bagon. He had no idea of Beldum's capabilities beyond Iron Head, nor of Bagon's beyond Headbutt. However, Bagon seemed obsessed with repeating the pattern over and over.

True to that, Bagon lowered his head and aimed again. Sawyer almost jumped on his feet, only to take a deep breath.

"Iron Head, on the ground!"

Beldum cratered down instantly, cracking the ground; the small shockwave was enough to make it wobble, and Bagon swiftly lost its footing and crashed on the dirt.

Sawyer smiled, and took his chance. "Now, Iron Head again! But not too strong!"

Beldum bulleted towards Bagon again, and the Dragon-type slammed over a wall. It whimpered again and held its head, and this time he didn't try to raise again.

Sawyer beamed and pumped his fists. "Yes! Thanks a lot, Beldum!"

Beldum floated around Sawyer and chirped happily around the boy. At the same time, the Draconid gave Sawyer a quizzical look as he grabbed back his Swablu, shifting between him and the downed Bagon.

"You... defeated it." He continued to observe Bagon, wordless.

"Not quite, I asked Beldum to hold back." Sawyer strode closer to the defeated Pokémon. "This Bagon is acting weird."

Once again, the boy's confusion turned to anger as he scowled towards Sawyer.

"This is the angriest Bagon of Meteor Falls. Every Draconid has tried to capture it at least once, and no one managed to." Hands on his hips, he gave a cocky grin. "No way a Sootopolitan can tame it!"

Sawyer was too focused in getting closer and studying the Bagon's body to care. He was grateful that Dragon-type biology was one of their latest subjects at school, especially as he scanned the blue scales under Bagon's tired but nasty glare.

There were several bruises of quite different origins, from scratches to bites, alongside several small and rugged scars along the helmeted head's surface. He contemplated them briefly, and then he saw it: a nasty, still red gash, right between the armored part of the head and the scales beneath.

"So that's why." Sawyer rubbed his chin. "He was trying to stop the pain, and that's why he continued to go for the Headbutt."

The boy behind him quirked an eyebrow, while Sawyer grabbed his backpack and took a Potion out of it. He then smiled, even as the Bagon showed his feet.

"Here, let me help you," he said as he sprayed it over the wound. Bagon flinched and then stilled, blinking in confusion. Sawyer took his chance and continued to apply the medication. Bagon resisted increasingly less as Sawyer progressed, until the spray can was completely empty. Sawyer smiled as he saw the gash much less red than before, and the Bagon's rage seemingly quelled.

"Here, better than new!" Sawyer said, placing the Potion aside. "How do you feel now?"

Bagon blinked and rubbed his helmeted head again, then beamed back at Sawyer with the happiest grin ever. Sawyer grinned wide, and rubbed Bagon's forehead with delight.

On the side, the Draconid boy could only stare. Then, he shook his head and pouted to the side. "I can't believe it."

After spraying some more Potions to make sure Bagon was well, Sawyer turned back to the Draconid with a sheepish grin and rubbing his neck.

"I'm sorry for earlier, I hope you are alright," he said, head held down.

The Draconid had no words again, squeezing his Swablu and rubbing a few bruises he got. Before he could give any reply, however, other voices reached the kids.

"Look! It's the Sootopolitan!"

"Why is Ryuga like that?"

"It must be his fault!"

Sawyer snapped back to attention, and then saw many other Draconids observing him and Ryuga. The boy didn't know what to say as the people ahead stared at him in horror and anger. He wanted to speak and explain, but no words came out as he tried. And for the Draconids ahead, that was enough.

"I knew it! You can't trust Sootopolitans!"

"Yeah! I bet he wanted to steal that Bagon, too!"

All the men and women closed in around Sawyer, and the boy gulped and stood still. Beldum hovered and glowered at them, while even Bagon took his battle stance once more. Sawyer didn't know what to think as every stare became progressively more vicious, more angry, more _hateful_ towards him. It was enough to make him step back instead of defending himself, and that made him no favors as the Draconids' stare pierced through him.

Ryuga barged in, arms raised. "Wait, guys, he-"

"Let's teach him!"

Several Pokémon appeared, from Trapinch to Swablu to Bagon, and all stared at Sawyer with the same gaze. And then, Sawyer knew no words would've saved him.

He stood there, with Bagon and Beldum as his only defenses, and-

"Stop there, you dimwits!"

The older Draconid halted instantly, then sent a confused look at their side. The Draconid Elder walked closer to them, accompanied by Zinnia, Aster and Steven, all staring at the scene puzzled.

None of the gathered Draconids seemed to know what to say, until a burly man among them stepped up with a potent glare.

"Elder!" He pointed at Sawyer and glowered his way. "This Sootopolitan attacked Ryuga! He's dangerous!"

Sawyer couldn't help but flinch and sweat at the accusation, with Ryuga just as concerned. The Elder remained calm however, and she slowly considered the young Draconid's body before shaking her head and matching the man's stare.

"Ryuga looks fine to me." Her gaze turned colder. "Are you seriously attacking a child out of assumptions?"

It was the man's turn to flinch, raising his hands. "N-no, we-"

"You were. And that makes you no better than Sootopolitans." The Elder pressed her cane on the ground, then she glanced at Sawyer. "He and the dreamboat here are our guests for the time being. Show respect, unless they clearly act against us."

The other Draconids remained silent. And then, the man held his head down and nodded alongside the rest. "As you wish, Elder."

The Elder didn't need to repeat herself, then moved alongside her granddaughter and great granddaughter. Sawyer let out a relieved sigh, then found Steven approaching him.

"We're going to meet the grunts, Sawyer." Steven tilted his head to the Draconids ever-so-slightly as he continued to look at him. "I think it's better if you stick with us."

Sawyer gave another glance at the Draconids. The stares didn't waver, and the boy shuddered. He gave Steven a quick nod before he grabbed Bagon.

"Alright." He then faced Ryuga, smiling as he passed Bagon to him. "I'm sure you will take good care of him."

Neither Ryuga nor Bagon said anything as Sawyer turned around and joined Steven and the Draconid women, leaving everyone else behind as Beldum floated along.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have left you alone," Steven said.

"It's fine, nothing bad happened." Sawyer forced a smile, only for it to fade quickly as he turned to the ground. "It was scary, though."

Steven didn't immediately reply, but Sawyer could see the Champion shake his fists. He then shook his head, and inched closer to the boy.

"Sadly, prejudice can make people act without thinking," Steven whispered as he looked back over to the Draconids. "They would only expect the worst out of others."

Sawyer spied the Draconids one last time, and Ryuga and Bagon in particular. "I understand."

The boy almost felt like Ryuga and Bagon were staring back at him as he faced the road ahead, but that wasn't possible. If those stares of earlier and Ryuga's reaction meant anything, was that he and other 'Sootopolitans' would've never been welcome there.

And thus, Sawyer sighed as he walked away.

* * *

It didn't take long for the group to reach a small corridor leading further inside the caverns, the entrance sealed by alternating wood planks and warded off by two Draconids and their Shelgon. The Dragon-types stepped on and glared towards the Sootopolitans, only stopping when Zinnia strode onward and met the guards' gaze.

"Did they reveal anything yet?" Zinnia frowned, eyeing the short path ahead. Several moans and whispers could be heard from the other side.

One of the guards shook his head. "Nothing. We've told them repeatedly that they will perish if they don't tell us where the thief went, but they refuse to answer and claim Team Zenith's glory will be achieved, and other such nonsense."

Zinnia let out a pre-planned sigh and rubbed her forehead.

"Great, the raving lunatics was exactly what we needed." She turned back to the Elder and Steven. "Looks like we're wasting time here."

Steven simply adjusted his jacket and stared at the darkness ahead, trying to make up any shape on the other end of the passage. Then, he faced Zinnia. "Can I have a few minutes with them?"

"What are you planning, Sootopolitan?" Zinnia furrowed her brow further.

Steven stared back at her, and then smirked. "Let's just say I'm good at negotiations."

Zinnia blinked a couple of times at the Champion before diverting her gaze back to the Elder. She gave a nod, and Zinnia exhaled.

"Fine then. Have it your way." She tilted her head to the guards, and they swiftly parted while lifting the planks.

Steven acknowledged that with a nod, then gave the Elder and Sawyer a brief smile before entering the prison.

The Devon Corporation's heir walked through the corridor with nonchalance, a few scattered torches lighting the way just enough to not require a flashlight. He idly considered the walls, as yellow as every other surface in Meteor Falls. If there weren't more pressing matters at hand, he would've loved to take a sample and analyze it.

He shook his head and focused on. That was a very serious moment, and it wasn't the time to get distracted.

It only took a few more steps before Steven reached the cell proper, no more than a small circular recess barely big enough to serve that purpose. And right in the middle of it stood at least fifteen people dressed in silly dragon costumes, trying to break free and talking to each other, too busy to realize he had come. Steven steeled and contemplated them. Team Zenith grunts, looking exactly as he remembered them. Which meant they would probably be very stupid, very disorganized and very, very dangerous.

A frown flickered over his face. He couldn't afford to waste time now. And thus, he cleared his throat, and everyone's attention turned back to him. All the grunts went pale at once.

And then, one of them spoke. "Steven Stone?"

"In the flesh." Hands in his pockets, Steven paced closer, studying the rope. "You seem to be in quite a peculiar predicament, here."

The same grunt looked him over with pleading eyes. "You have to save us from these savages! You aren't going to keep us prisoners here, right?"

"Yeah! We Hoenn citizens must stick together!"

"We'll turn a new leaf, we promise!"

The voices and begging started to pile up, but Steven didn't reply. He took in any incoherent, empty promise, several racist slurs, and more than a few hypocritical statements. Team Zenith had tried to remake Hoenn and the world to their own image, they knew that he would've opposed them at all costs, and they _still_ expected his help even as they planned something dangerous once again. Steven Stone was many things, too bad 'patient' wasn't one of them.

Outwardly, he only closed his eyes and sighed, then gave the grunts a reassuring smirk.

"I can probably see that our friends release you post-haste." His glare turned sharply colder. "If you'd care for telling us what Team Zenith is planning."

The grunts all shut up at once. They paled even more, and no one dared to say anything in response. Steven glared on.

The supposed leader of the grunts sighed and broke the silence. "You know already of the Flower."

"I've also fought against you more times than I can remember." Steven folded his arms. "You're fairly easy to see through."

The recess turned silent once more. And then, the grunts laughed and attempted to put a brave face.

"We'll never tell you anything, 'Champion'." The leader grinned. "There's no way you can make us talk!"

Of course, expecting them to cooperate was a pipe dream, after all. Steven exhaled; maybe it was time to play his old card again.

Steven swiftly produced a Poké Ball, and Metagross materialized at his side. He could see the grunts tense up, and the Champion stared on coldy.

"This is the Beldum that destroyed a good number of your companions in Petalburg Woods, and the Metang that single-handedly ruined your Mt. Pyre heist." He sharpened his gaze further. "It's also the Metagross that proved victorious in the Ever Grande Conference, conquered the Elite Four, and then defeated the previous Hoenn Champion. It never fainted once since then, and I heard it has a rather mean Meteor Mash."

The feigned determination faltered, especially as Metagross clanked its frontal legs together and joined his trainer in staring at the grunts.

And yet, even as he sweated, the head grunt matched Steven's stare. "So? Where are you going with this?"

"I offered you an olive branch and you refused it." Steven stood still as Metagross' front legs charged into a Meteor Mash. "I'm allowing you to reconsider."

And thus, panic settled in. Everyone looked in horror as Metagross prepared his attack, and the grunts tried to break free of their bonds again. Even the head grunt appeared much less confident, his face dozens of shades paler.

He clenched his jaw, and glared back. "You wouldn't dare! You're a goody two-shoes!"

"A goody two-shoes that has ran out of patience." Steven's tone was like steel, firm and sharp.

He contemplated the ensuing scenario with more than cursory interest: Metagross held the Meteor Mash high now, and the grunts continued to thrash, bite the rope, and many other attempts to break free. Some of them even pleaded at him, but they all fell on deaf ears.

Steven simply waited, spying Metagross' crackling fist as he strode closer to the grunts. The fear grew, and grew, and then-

"Alright! Alright! Zevie's on Mt. Chimney! He's gonna use that stuff there! Don't kill us!"

All the other grunts froze, then stared at the sweating, pale, and very much ashamed grunt that just blurted out the truth. Steven, by contrast, simply turned alongside Metagross and faced the way back.

He raised an arm in salute. "Very well, then. Thank you for your information."

"Y-you aren't gonna leave us there! Come on, don't joke around!"

Steven paused, observing the grunts once again. He saw fear, anger, shame, and just a bit of hope over their gazes. The Champion closed his eyes. "I'm a man of my word, and I'll ensure you're released. But only after Zevie is dealt with."

Before the grunts could cause another commotion, Steven sent them one last, cold stare. "Make sure not to enrage the 'savages', alright?"

The grunts thrashed, yelled and cried again, but Steven held no interest in that. And thus, he left the recess alongside Steven, the complaints of the Zenith grunts growing progressively less audible until he finally reached the group again. They all gave him quizzical glances, clearly having heard their discussion.

He smiled softly. "We've got a lead now."

Zinnia continued to contemplate Steven before he let out an amused chuckle. "I'm impressed. I thought you were just a spineless wimp, and then you go and threaten to make people into jam."

Steven sent the Lorekeeper a stern look, then pocketed his hands.

"Never had that intention." He managed a quick smirk. "It's an old trick of a friend of mine. If you look serious enough and can harm someone, everyone will expect violence to ensue."

Granted, Sidney probably would've skipped straight to beating people up without issues, but that was probably not something to specify.

Zinnia looked over the Hoenn Champion, as if registering what he said. And then, she smirked and laughed it off. Steven crooked an eyebrow as the irritating giggles continued.

"You Sootopolitans truly are all the same. In the end, you can't help but threaten your way through the world." The woman's laughter slowly subsided, but her grin never faltered.

Steven clenched his fists and glared daggers at the woman. "You aren't the one who got results done here."

Zinnia, for once, didn't sneer or jab at him, and instead looked at him in confusion. She didn't seem intimidated nor anything of the sort, but Steven wasn't interested.

Steven didn't linger on her as he turned to the Elder. "We need to go to Mt. Chimney, and fast. Whatever Team Zenith's planning will take place there."

The Elder pondered it over, and then smiled to the Champion.

"There's a tunnel that leads straight to Mt. Chimney. One of the few that Sootopolitans didn't make unusable." She pressed the cane on the floor. "Zinnia, gather the strongest of our ranks, pronto."

Zinnia nodded, and swiftly walked towards Meteor Village's clearing with Aster in tow. As her granddaughter left, the Elder turned to Steven again, frowning towards the Sootopolitans. "Of course, you and your friend won't tell anyone of this tunnel, right?"

Steven crossed his arms. "You have my word on that."

"Excellent, then." The Elder smiled once more and pointed ahead. "Follow me."

As they walked along, Steven didn't notice the concerned glance Sawyer was giving him. The Elder led the way, and Steven and Sawyer walked away from Meteor Village.

* * *

 **And here it is, part one of the Steven Interlude. I wasn't originally gonna divide this story in parts, but given Head Gym Leader Drake Interlude reiterated the possibility of dividing Gaiden and Interludes in multiple parts after Black Rose Tournament Interlude was the technical first, I decided to take advantage of it given this story was already slowly becoming my longest one-shot yet. This chapter covered most of the set up phase of the story, while the next will deal with the climax and finally introduce the higher echelons of Team Zenith. My general plan for this story was to make something lighter than some of my recent plots like Charmander and Agatha & Sam, and as such I envisioned this story to feel quite like a summer blockbuster in terms of tone. There are still some heavy themes touched on the way, but I don't plan for the story to come across as excessively grim compared to my other non-Dude recent offerings.**

 **About it, this Interlude has been in development for a quite long time, and in fact it predates the technical debut of Team Zenith in the Holiday Special 2017: I was the one asking to delve on the original Team Magma and Aqua splintered from, for which Crossoverpairinglover already had a few ideas, including calling it Team Utopia and focusing on improving the world by any means necessary: I kept the aim, but I suggested a change of name to Team Zenith both for the double meaning provided (being both a Flying-type oriented team and one that wants humanity to reach its peak potential) and to keep the naming structure of Maxie and Archie with Zevie, given possible 'U-XX-ie' names didn't sound particularly imposing. In fact, the attempt to rename the team 'Team Utopia' mentioned in the Holiday Special is actually a Development Gag towards this.**

 **For anyone not aware of the main Reset Bloodlines story, I hope the differences between the Draconid/Sootopolitan conflict from canon weren't too jarring or difficult to grasp, but I like to think that I made a good job in making this story accessible for everyone. The Megalith is the same rock that plays a role in XY's plotline and Team Flare's plans from the Mega Evolution specials to the Team Flare arc's climax, which was dubbed as 'Giant Rock' outside of Japan: due to the Narmy nature of the name, I've decided to use the japanese equivalent while still nodding to the dub version, and hope it will be something that could be forgiven.**

 **The Elder actually does call Steven a silver-haired dreamboat in game, too, and thought the idea was too funny to remove here. Meteor Village as a concept is borrowed from the ORAS chapter of Special/Adventures, as is the Flower, which had a much more understated usage in manga canon but which I tweaked to served the plot well. Ryuga is a creation of mine however, and I based his design on Talo from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, if anyone needs a visual reference for him.**

 **For Steven, the inspiration for this story and a lot of his portrayal is based on the writing of my dear friend Wolflyn, who's currently writing an excellent journey fic starring Steven called The Long Road which I reccomend everyone to read: a lot of the events from Steven's past mentioned have an equivalent on that story, but I still made sure to put a bit of my own touch on Steven, including several events and differences that ensure The Long Road is at best broad strokes for Reset. In any case, this story as a whole is a tribute to Wolflyn and dedicated to her, alongside being a homage to The Long Road.**

 **The shiny Beldum Sawyer makes use of in this story is actually based on the promotional one released for Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, capable to unlock a few bits of information regarding Steven and implied to have been owned by him: I had this idea before the main story estabilished that shinies have a higher chance to breed shinies on their own in the Resetverse, but it's definitely something that helped out this Mythology Gag.**

 **Also, just to make it clear, while I hinted that Sidney might be a bit on the thuggish side, he's more of a lovable thug than a murderous asshole barely kept in check. Imagine him somewhat like a family-friendlier Guzma in general behavior. As for timeline markers, this story happens right in the middle of Wally Interlude, after Wally runs away from him but before the events in Lilycove City.**

 **I hope you had fun with this story so far, and that you'll enjoy the rest of the ride, which I hope to deliver soon. See you all next time!**


	2. Chapter 2

The tunnel was pretty well-lit and kept for the most part: several torches lined up the path and ensured there were no blind spots save for the occasional boulder tucked on the side.

Zinnia had managed to gather a group of twenty or so Draconid warriors with just as many Dragon-types at their side, and the Elder led them all through the ancient path. Steven had opted to remain behind them all, and judging by the occasional mean look the Draconids tossed at his side, he probably made the right decision. Metagross floated right next to him, ready to pull up another Protect in case. With what had just happened, it was better not to trust the Draconids _too_ much.

The Champion scanned the cave walls with mild interest, noticing a few purple stains over the walls. He had heard that Poison-types were used in the last few wars against the Draconids, and that was probably a remnant of those times.

He instinctively clenched his fists. The effects of the Draconid skirmishes were still felt in many of Hoenn's biggest cities, and Team Zenith could potentially lead the way to something even more scarring and disastrous than anything Draconids ever did.

Steven took a deep breath and massaged his forehead. There was too much at stake, and he couldn't fail.

"Mr. Stone, is everything alright?"

Steven snapped to attention and turned back to his side, finding Sawyer blinking at him while Beldum floated at his side. He briefly stood before he reacquired his habitual smile. "Why the sudden question?"

"You were rubbing your forehead. You only do that when you are nervous or something isn't going well, like during the last match of the Ever Grande Conference."

Steven blinked, massaging his forehead further. He _did_ do that a lot, now that he thought about it. The Champion couldn't help but chuckle again as he closed his eyes, his smile growing wider.

"You've got a keen eye." He opened his eyes again, took a deep breath, and examined the rocky terrain, his stare hardening. "It's nothing too bad. I just don't like this situation, and I want to end Team Zenith's ambitions quickly."

Sawyer gulped and gazed downward himself. "Were you really going to hurt those grunts earlier?"

Steven didn't know what to answer on the spot. However, it didn't take long for him to shook his head and look at Sawyer solemnly.

"No. A part of me really wanted to, and maybe I almost wished I could, but I would've never hit them." Steven frowned and looked ahead. "We're the good guys, and there are lines we should never cross."

"You don't seem too happy about it."

Steven's expression cracked just a little as he clicked his tongue, rubbing his forehead again as unwanted memories flooded back in.

"I faced Team Zenith over and over, years ago. I can't help but wonder if I should've gotten rid of their leader sooner." Steven looked forlown as he glanced at Sawyer. "This was a problem of my generation, and now it's spilling into yours."

Sawyer was the one to remain silent. Steven turned away and sighed. He wasn't surprised, that was a complicated argument to approach even for an adult after all. He went back to analyze the cave walls with only cursory interest. He heard steps though, and saw Sawyer inching closer and staring back at him.

"I don't know what to say, really." He gulped and gripped his hand around his notebook. "But I don't think being a good guy is a problem. And even if Team Zenith returned now, they can still be defeated again, right?"

The boy flashed an unsure yet bright grin back at him. Steven blinked at the boy, thinking about what he just said. It was a very simple, almost naive response, and yet he couldn't help but smile back at the youngster.

"Good point." He looked back to the road ahead, and his smile widened. "We must make sure they're defeated for good this time, then."

"We will make it for sure."

Steven gave him a nod in response, and Sawyer's expression brightened just a bit more. Then, he finched and turned around, checking the path behind them. Steven crooked an eyebrow and did the same, finding nothing but the occasional rock.

He quickly turned back to Sawyer. "What is it?"

"I felt someone was after us." He scratched his head, only to shrug. "Must've been my imagination, but it's better not to lower our guard."

Steven contemplated the young boy as he peeked back again just in case, still on his toes while Beldum floated right next to him. Then, the Champion gave him a good-natured chuckle.

"Perceptive, brave, and cautious." Steven nodded. "You've definitely got a bright future as a trainer ahead of you."

Sawyer stopped immediately, turning back to the Champion with his face a thousand shades redder. He opened his mouth to reply, only for his gaping jaw to stay still.

He shook his head and rubbed his neck with unease, his gaze set toward the ground. "D-do you think so?"

"Hmh." He observed the young Psychic/Steel-type afterwards. "Beldum seems happy to be with you, too."

Sawyer looked at it as well, with the lump of metal pivoting in the air while humming a happy tune. Sawyer beamed, then faced Steven again as he gave a respectful nod. "T-thanks a lot, this means very much for me."

Sawyer's smile slowly faltered however, as his gaze was diverted back to the rocky path. He exhaled.

"I made a promise with a friend once, to see who would become the most famous trainer." He forced his smile back up. "I was pretty sure I would've lost the bet by now. I'm weak and powerless, after all."

Steven took a few seconds to absorb the boy's confession, and for just a moment Sawyer felt way more familiar than he had been so far. Afterwards, he was quick to shake his head and rise a finger, just like Roxanne would've done.

"A friend of my father always said we humans are powerless and weak by nature, and the only reason we came up ontop was because we are smart." He traded a glance at Metagross as he passed a hand over its metallic head. "I thought the same of myself as a kid. That I was given everything and would've been nothing in my life without it."

"Really?" Sawyer blinked, only to withdraw sheepishly back to the ground. "I mean, I knew you wanted to make a name of yourself, but I thought you were strong to begin with."

"Oh, sure. I managed to claim the title of Hoenn Champion, but I would've never reached it if I didn't work hard and took the long road." Steven's eyes glinted just barely as memories flowed back in his mind. He closed them and gave Sawyer a confident grin. "And every road looks scary, when you start walking it. The trick is preventing the fear from stopping you."

Sawyer listened carefully, then nodded again as he opened his notebook. "I understand. I'll never forget this."

And then, the boy started jotting down notes as he loved to do, with Beldum floating above his head and checking the handwriting up close. Steven felt even more familiarity at that scene, and quickly turned back to Metagross. Wordlessly, trainer and Pokémon agreed with a nod, before the Champion faced Sawyer again, clearing his throat and catching his attention.

"You know, that Beldum is the son of my Metagross. I was keeping it with me for training, while my Claydol took a rest." He saw Beldum whirl around Sawyer, and then folded his arms. "But it seems to have taken a shine on you. If you want, you can keep it."

Sawyer fell silent, tilting his head and contemplating Beldum as the Pokémon did the same. He ended up taking a deep breath however, and then gave Steven a solemn look and shook his head.

"I'm flattered, really, but I don't think I can accept. I already know who my starter Pokémon will be."

"Really?"

Sawyer opened his notebook in response, and Steven was quite impressed as he saw a simplicistic drawing of a Treecko surrounded by several notes, scribbles, diagrams and theories crammed on every angle of the page. The boy's smile grew bigger as he tapped over the drawing.

"Treecko is the best option for me. They are easy to manage and can be extremely resourceful. I already studied an optimal training regime, a way to enhance its strong points, and, well..." He giggled, as his grin turned sheepish. "It's very cute, isn't it?"

"Definitely." Steven laughed, then pocketed his hands. "You already befriended one, right?"

"Y-yeah." Sawyer blushed again as he placed the notebook back in his pocket. "I visit Professor Birch's laboratory in Littleroot Town in my spare time and sometimes run errands for him, and there's a Treecko that took a liking for me there. Professor Birch was kind enough to tell me he would save it for me. I need to at least finish the next school term before I can become a trainer, however."

Steven observed the boy once more. Most trainers would've just chosen a Pokémon based on the first impression, and even he only got Beldum as a gift from his father. He couldn't help but smile once more.

"Well, it's good to know you have your ideas clear already." He then glanced back to Beldum. "By all means, though, keep it with you for now. We can't really risk anything with Team Zenith around."

"I'll do my best," Sawyer said. He then grinned at Beldum as well. "Say, can you show me your moves? I'd like to plan some strategies."

Beldum hummed an affirmative, and Sawyer pumped his fists. The boy walked away from Steven with the Pokémon in tow as they spoke, the Beldum shimmering and displaying some of its attacks along the way.

Steven looked on with a hint of pride at the impromptu training session, only for some heavy steps to catch his attention. He raised his gaze to meet Zinnia's, with her Salamence at her side. His smile faded away as he turned serious.

"You should've left that kid behind. You will just endanger him this way." Zinnia crossed her arms as her well-honed glare pierced through him.

Steven matched her intensity as he shrugged. "He can hold his own, and to put it bluntly, I'm not that sure he'd be safe among Draconids."

"Now you know how it feels." Zinnia's frown intensified. "This is how my people have had to feel for generations among you Sootopolitans."

This time, Steven didn't fall for the jab. Instead he shook his head, looking pensive before he met Zinnia's gaze again.

"You keep bringing that up. Sootopolitans here, Draconids that." He placed his hands akimbo. "I don't want to erase history or pretend that your people don't deserve compensation, but I think both of our sides have faults in the current situation."

"Easy for you to say. How's that moral high ground?"

"It's not that. Have you ever noticed how your daughter plays around?"

Zinnia flinched, only for her stare to grow even more intense. "Why are you asking that?"

"I'm not a parent, probably will never be, but I've spent enough time among kids to appreciate their drive and optimism." He stole another glance towards Sawyer, and smiled again. "They have a much simpler vision of the world than we do, and it's almost admirable, really. If a Sootopolitan were to play with your daughter, I'm sure she wouldn't object."

"Where are you trying to go with this?"

"Maybe we should stop thinking of this as Draconids against Sootopolitans with no way out. It's the mistake our people and even we have continued to repeat." Steven faced Zinnia again. "Maybe it will be a hard path, with a lot of old wounds to heal on the way, but there can be a solution. If we can march to face Team Zenith together, why can't we apply this to other issues?"

"We can build a new future, together, for our next generation." He smiled once more as he offered Zinnia a hand. "What do you say?"

Zinnia remained silent as she studied Steven's arm. Steven could see her expression morph ever-so-slightly, as if she was considering the offer. However, she quickly scoffed and slapped the hand away.

"I say that you should focus on what matters first. I thought you were the 'no time to waste' guy here." She turned around and strided back to the front. "Prepare your team, we'll be on Mt. Chimney soon."

Steven remained silent as the Lorekeeper left to the head of the entourage once more. Steven sighed and rubbed his forehead; if nothing else, he had tried to make it work. He couldn't expect her to change her worldview overnight.

His gaze moved back to Sawyer, with the boy shouting commands while Beldum showed him what it could do. That kid was a rare one, but one that truly deserved the future ahead.

And now he had to do everything he could to ensure that future shone brightly ahead of Sawyer and all the new generation.

* * *

Mt. Chimney had always been a popular tourist location, as one of the last few active volcanoes in the Hoenn region and the source of Lavaridge Town's famous hot springs. However, not even the bravest tourists were keen on going all the way to the top, where lava brewed freely and heat was almost unbearable: the few who made it to the top tended to either be researchers of volcanic activity and the like, or young trainers looking for a good training spot for Lavaridge Gym.

As such, it was quite unsettling to find the path to the top of the mountain filled to the brim with Team Zenith grunts, all moving up and down and patrolling the place. Steven, Sawyer, Zinnia and the Draconid warriors made sure to stay hidden behind several rocks as they observed each enemy pacing about. The Elder was following along too, even if she was keeping her distance due to not being battle-ready, something about wanting to see if Zevie was involved or not.

"This is definitely where they plan to act." Steven squinted his eyes, trying to spot any familiar face among the Team Zenith members.

Zinnia contemplated the grunts with a sneer. "So, what are we waiting for?"

"Clues about what's going on. We can't just rush into things while we're in the thick of it." Steven frowned as he continued to study his old foes.

The average grunt of Team Zenith wasn't particularly strong, but the amount of them was large enough that they could've slowed down their ascent. He could see a few scattered machines, including a large tubular one towards the top of the mountain, too far away to discern. He was almost impressed that they could set up all that stuff in what he assumed was a tight schedule, and without being tracked to boot, but that wasn't the time to praise Team Zenith's diligence. They needed to understand their plan in full, and then find a way to stop it.

At his side, Sawyer appeared just as vigilant, until he widened his eyes and turned to Steven again. "Hey, someone's coming," he whispered while pointing to his left.

Steven crooked an eyebrow and looked that way, and he almost faltered before clenching his jaw. Not too far from them two women were walking, both clad in Team Zenith's green cloaks: one had a quite imposing and muscular figure and wore short blue hair, while the other was far more diminutive and frail-looking, almost pale girl with square glasses and long, black hair. They were a few years older than he remembered, but those looks and imposing presence were unmistakable: they were among Zevie's most trusted followers, and what one could've called the Admins of Team Zenith.

All the grunts dropped their tasks as they bowed at the women's passage. Among them, a girl struck a military salute while approaching the newcomers.

"Master Carly, Master Taylor, we didn't expect you to arrive so soon," she said in a courteous tone. The burly woman and the bespectacled one nodded in return.

A smile lit up Carly's face as she cracked her fists. "I couldn't wait to see the seeds of our hard work finally bear fruit. I trust nothing bad happened so far?"

"Master Zevie is currently putting the finishing touches for the operation. Some grunts have been captured by the Draconids as they made it out with the lore scroll, while the one in charge of the Flower retrieval was almost busted by the Hoenn Champion. Retaliation is expected."

At that, Taylor adjusted her glasses. "Let them come, then. We've been preparing this plan for years, there's no way they would be able to stop the Megalith."

Hearing that name, Steven couldn't help but pause. He quickly glanced back at the tubular structure, now finally able to make up the veiny, large chunk of rock held inside, and he could feel all his hair stand on ends. Until then, he could've still hoped that they were still in the process of finding a piece of that rock. If that was the real deal and it was as dangerous as Zinnia had told, however, that was no time to stare and hesitate.

Pressing his back to the rock, Steven frowned and glanced at the Draconids. "We've got to reach the mountain top, let's-"

"Not so fast, Stevie."

Steven and everyone else froze, and the Champion rolled away just as an Air Slash pulverized the rock that was hiding him. Steven rose back up, eyes on Carly and Taylor as they stared through him, a Tropius at Carly's side and every other Team Zenith grunt ready to unleash their Pokémon.

Steven pulled off an uneasy grin. "Carly, Taylor, long time no see."

"Did you expect to waltz in and disrupt our plans without running into Master Zevie's right-hand women?" Taylor shook her head.

Without further words, eleven Poké Balls were tossed: Dodrio, Skarmory, Gyarados, Crobat and a Mightyena joined Tropius at Carly's side, while Beautifly, Ninjask, Masquerain, Swellow, Pelipper and another Mightyena materialized around Taylor. All the Pokémon stared at the intruders, while several Poochyena, Mightyena, Zubat and Golbat joined their ranks from the sidelines. Swiftly, Steven's team found itself outmatched as the higher ups and grunts closed the path around them.

As the opposing Pokémon increased, Steven and Metagross shared a grimace. They then turned to the two women ahead and Metagross stepped forward, only for Zinnia to raise an arm towards them.

Steven blinked, then frowned. "What?"

"This is obviously just a way to prevent us from reaching their boss." Zinnia turned halfway and stared back at him. "Leave these small fries to us for now."

"Oooh, look, the troglodyte called us small fries." Carly chuckled, hands on her hips and a wicked grin on her face. "I think we should teach this cave dweller where she and her scum belong, don't you think?"

Taylor adjusted her glasses as she glared coldly and mechanically at her opponents. "All intruders will be eliminated, for the glory of Team Zenith."

Team Zenith's army of Flying-types and assorted Pokémon advanced slowly, but neither Zinnia nor her fellow Draconids yielded or walked away; instead, the Lorekeeper grinned as her Salamence blasted a Flamethrower to the sky, all the other Draconid Pokémon joining it in similar displays of power. Then, the Draconids marched ahead as one.

Steven's muscles tensed as he studied the two factions: a part of him wanted to stay there and help the Draconids fight, but he knew what his actual duty was. He spared a glance to the side, where Sawyer and Beldum remained hidden behind a rock several feet away. The boy faced the Champion almost instantly, and man and boy held a silent conversation through their locked stares; the meaning was clear, and went both ways. _Don't do anything reckless._

And thus, they both nodded at once. Steven gave a relieved smile before he shook his head and turned to the path to Mt. Chimney's peak. Wordless, Steven and Metagross sprung forward and rushed towards the mountain top, as war cries erupted and deadly moves were unleashed right behind him.

* * *

As Steven's heart thumped against his chest, the world around him felt like a blur. Metagross was soaring right next to him, and while he and his partner were determined to reach the top, the heat from the lava brewing around them was already starting to take its toll on them.

Nevertheless, they persisted, even as Team Zenith grunts stationed overhead blocked the path and sent Pokémon against the intruders.

With swift moves, Steven's allies joined the ascent. As the Champion and Metagross continued further, he could spy Cradily hurling an Ancient Power against the Golbat at her side, Armaldo tossing a Mightyena on the ground, Aggron tackling a Swablu on a nearby rock and Skarmory cornering a few groundbound grunts and Pokémon with a spray of Toxic. As soon as they were finished, they joined the rush to the top as well, only taking their distance when it was time to face other opponents. Steven didn't need to give them orders or direct their actions: they were a well-oiled, efficient fighting unit, worthy of the title of Champions of the Hoenn region, and Steven knew he could trust their autonomy.

And so, as the ascent progressed swiftly and the grunts and their Pokémon fell around him, Steven thought. And among the sea of thoughts, one emerged stronger than any other.  
 _  
Even if Team Zenith returned now, they can still be defeated again, right?_

 _We must make sure they're defeated for good this time, then._

Steven steeled his gaze as Sawyer's words burned in his head. This would've been Team Zenith's final battle, no matter the ultimate outcome.

As the Hoenn Champion clenched his fists, he finally reached his destination; the top of Mt. Chimney was even hotter and harder to walk through for the heat and lava boiling right under them, but that wasn't the focus of neither him nor his team. That would've been the giant tube containing the Megalith shard, and the console attached to it at its base, where a man was typing calmly while giving the Champion his back. Steven's stance shifted, his whole body tensing up as he stared at the man's figure, with his whole team standing on guard.

Steven cleared his throat and locked his gaze on him. "Team Zenith Boss Zevie. It's been a while."

The man calmly paused his endeavor as he turned around. He wore an elaborate labcoat with Team Zenith's emblem over the heart, with spiky green hair and a thick beard framing his aged face, with a pair of goggles standing proudly over his forehead. He was a few years older than he remembered, but aside from that nothing of his demeanor or appearence seemed to have changed.

The man clasped his hands together as he sent the Champion a warm smile. "Just as punctual as ever. It's a pleasure to meet you again, Hoenn League Champion Steven Stone."

"Spare me the formalities." Metagross' fists glowed brightly as Steven paused his walk. "We've fought each other more times than I wished to. This is the end."

Zevie's smile only grew brighter as he nodded and placed his hands behind his back, pacing towards the other man.

"You're quite correct, this is the end." His gaze turned serious. "For years, Team Zenith has tried to bring forth an utopia for humans and Pokémon alike, allowing them to reach their highest peak as living beings. But I was too reckless, too ambitious, and I surrounded myself with too many brilliant minds. As a result, our plans and ideology was never as fully formed as I hoped for, and while my personal aim was to take control of Rayquaza to lead humanity's development from the skies, our actions never matched the intention."

He shook his head and stared in the distance, where the majority of the Team Zenith grunts were currently engaged in an all-out war with Steven's allies.

"This is what costed me my alliance with the Draconids, too, as a contingent of Team Zenith members thought to steal Draconid scrolls right as I was reaching for their support, in an attempt to gain power in the organization. And that was but one of the many failures of our attempts to lead humanity to a brighter tomorrow. I can understand why so many of my brothers and sisters decided to flock over to Maxie and Archie's side, when they split off to form Team Magma and Team Aqua."

Zevie clenched his jaw for a second, sighing and rubbing his forehead slowly before he stared back at Steven.

"I used to resent them, you know? To think they just abandoned me even if we shared the same broad goal. But then, as I saw their actions, I understood: as Magma and Aqua they were smaller, yes, but more focused, stronger, harder to match. That's what Team Zenith needed to be from day one, but I was thinking too big to understand it."

The man grinned again. "And so, we planned from scratch. We studied everything down to the last detail, gathered all the members still loyal to Team Zenith's cause, and then enacted our final operation. For too long has the world been at the mercy of conflicting whims, and if we won't be able to influence their progress, then we will be the rock that will derail it: it doesn't matter how, but this world _will_ have to change now."

Zevie extended his arms to the side, his grin only widening. Through it all, neither Steven nor any of his Pokémon made a move, simply observing Zevie's every action. And then, Steven smiled.

"Nice speech." He closed his eyes.

A green barrier rose around Steven and his team, just as the Draco Meteor shards rained all over them. Zevie seemed only mildly surprised, as Steven adjusted his jacket with nonchalance.

"You were never one to ramble about your motives." He observed the fragments of rock beating over the Protect with mild interest.

The rain slowly petered out, and an Altaria became visible. It slowly flew back to the ground, just as the Protect faded. Zevie gave a shrug. As Altaria flew back at his side, the scientist chuckled and palmed his Poké Balls. "Oh well, it just means I will have to defeat you legitimately."

Five Poké Balls flew up, and Mightyena, Crobat, Xatu, Dodrio and Pelipper joined Altaria around their trainer. The opposing Pokémon teams stared at each other, and Zevie couldn't help but smile.

"This brings back memories, you know? I think our first battle started almost exactly the same way."

"I'm not here to reminisce, Zevie." Steven glared at the man, setting a foot ahead. "The new generations deserve their chance to make a better tomorrow on their own terms. As the older generation, we can only help them on their path rather than dictating it."

"Ever the champion of free will. You never disappoint, Steven Stone." Zevie adjusted his goggles and then stretched his fingers, never losing his grin. "Let's see who has the strongest convictions between us."

Neither Steven nor Zevie needed further prompts: Steven hopped above Metagross, traded another glance with Zevie, and Champion and Zenith Boss pointed at each other. And then, they shouted at once.

"Flamethrower!"

"Flash Cannon!"

The blazing tongue of fire from Altaria and the sparkling sphere of steel from Metagross met halfway and exploded, coating the battlefield in smoke; clad in blackness, both teams lunged at each other, while Steven and Metagross aimed further ahead than Zevie was. Unfortunately for him, Zevie saw through that.

With nonchalance, the scientist snapped his fingers. "Team, activate the Wind Shield strategy."

At once Xatu and Crobat soared above the smoke and started flapping their wings while twirling on themselves, unleashing a flurry of Air Slashes in every direction. Metagross braced instantly as Steven ducked under the onslaught of sharp winds, forcing them to recede; once outside the Pokémon's range, Steven and Metagross could clearly see how the slashes were surrounding the Megalith shard and the console; he could see Cradily toss a serving of Ancient Power towards the wall, only for the slashes to disintegrate the rocks.

Steven frowned as he observed Xatu and Crobat's continued efforts: it was a simple yet effective defense, much like that Wind Works move that Unovan Gym Leader created. But he had no time to find a way through it, as a Flamethrower almost caught them both as Altaria soared towards them.

The Champion gritted his teeth. "Zen Headbutt!"

He hung tightly over his partner as Metagross rammed headfirst towards Altaria, with the Dragon/Flying-type swiftly dodging and circling around Metagross.

Steven jabbed immediately at the Altaria. "Psychic!"

Metagross' eyes glowed a pale blue, and the psychic outline blocked Altaria in place. Steven allowed himself a smirk.

"Now, use-"

Four wormholes suddenly tore the sky apart around them. Metagross twisted out of the way of the incoming Future Sight just in time not to be blasted to oblivion.

Steven clutched a hand over his racing heart and searched through the battlefield, only to notice Xatu's eyes glistening of a pale blue while sending further rocks throughout new wormholes, ready to strike at a moment's notice. Altaria, in the meantime, had managed to break free of the psychic restraint, and was now readying its next assault as it circled through Metagross and blocked its path again.

Steven gave a quick look at how the groundbound battle was progressing, only to frown even more: Cradily and Armaldo were currently locked in a stalemate as they traded Ancient Powers and Rock Blasts with Pelipper's Ice Beams and Dodrio's Tri-Attacks, with Pelipper constantly blocking any attempt at long and short range offensive with liberal usage of Protect; Skarmory fared only marginally better as it dodged Fire Fangs and tried to deal Aerial Aces against Mightyena, only for his attack to constantly be matched even with puddles of Toxic and Spikes scattered all over the battle, with Mightyena attempting to force Skarmory in falling for his Swagger, just like Aggron did as he attempted to strike down Skarmory with his Stone Edges. None were stuck in impossible situations yet, but they were all divided into smaller groups, and Zevie clearly wanted to prevent him and Metagross from regaining control of the flow of battle.

Steven clenched his fists as he met Zevie's nonchalant and satisfied grin, only to quickly recompose himself and pass a hand over Metagross' steely body: it was already warming up considerably, and the more they would've fought, the more sad heat would've become detrimental and dangerous. They couldn't afford the odds to turn even more against them than they did already. They were the Hoenn Champion and his team, and they braved far harsher strategies to reach the top.

"Let's do our best, Metagross." He stared through Altaria a few feet away. "We're fighting to win."

And with that declaration, Altaria and Metagross clashed once more.

* * *

Sawyer had no words to describe what he was witnessing. He had studied wars before on books and in classes, but being stuck in the middle of one was completely different.

Team Zenith grunts and Draconid warriors clashed, Flying-types against Dragon-types in a pure show of power, with Carly and Zinnia leading their respective factions and ordering them around with trained skill. It was completely unlike a normal Pokémon battle: neither side was fighting to win or to have fun, they were fighting to _annihilate_ their opponents, with Dragon Breaths, Claws and Tails blasting Flying-types and Team Zenith grunts alike, while Draconids and their Dragon-type partners had to constantly dodge and parry Air Slashes, Hurricanes, Brave Birds and the occasional Bite.

It was pure chaos, but one in which Sawyer could see a clear method: the Draconids were trying to make up for their lower numbers by sheer force and ganging up on their opponents, with only Zinnia showing any amount of strategy and finesse as she surveyed the battlefield above her Salamence and ensured that each weak point in their formation was covered; by contrast, most Team Zenith members were showing some degree of strategy whether they fought together or in tandem with other grunts, while Carly ordered her Tropius and the rest of her team to destroy any Draconid on her path, and she seemed to be having a very good time doing so as she cackled madly.

Regardless of their different approaches, however, one thing was clear: they were all strong, most of them were skilled, and he wasn't even remotely close to their level.

The boy clenched his fists before he spotted Beldum circling at his side. Even if it was probably stronger and more versatile than an average Beldum, that didn't change how little they could've contributed. As usual, he ended up being useless and outclassed. Wally would've probably tossed himself headfirst in battle and won the whole thing with Ralts at his side.

Sawyer gulped as he felt the knot on his stomach tighten up. He quickly shook away his worries as he hid better behind the rock, studying the battle again as he tried to be as incospicous as possible. If he couldn't contribute, he could've at least made sure not to impede, even if his boundless curiosity only made him more intrigued by the war ahead, as scary and as violent as it was. Fortunately, at the very least, Team Zenith grunts and Carly were pretty far from his position.

And then, Sawyer remembered Carly wasn't the only Team Zenith Admin around there.

He tried to look for where her colleague was, until he heard the sound of harsh wind from behind his back. He and Beldum dove to the side, and rolled right under the slashing force of a Wing Attack. Sawyer held his breath, and turned ahead to see Taylor stare at him through her glasses, Swellow in front of her and the rest of her team at her side.

"Remarkable. I thought you wouldn't dodge it," she said matter-of-factly.

Sawyer gulped while he tried to stand up again, sweating cold. "What do you want?"

"Your clothes seem quite modern, I've seen how you looked at Steven Stone, and you're avoiding to engage the conflict." Taylor checked him thoroughly, and then adjusted her frames. "Ergo, you aren't a Draconid, have a connection with the Champion, and you're not in a position to fight evenly with us."

Sawyer felt a knot in his stomach, even moreso when Taylor stepped closer, all her Pokémon ready to strike. "Therefore, you will make a nice bargaining chip to force Steven Stone to surrender."

As the Admin and her Pokémon strode slowly towards him, Sawyer didn't know what to say. He was being cornered, there were too many opponents, and no one would come to his rescue. There was no way he could make it.

As he continued to step back, however, he also felt a heavy nudge at his side. He glanced there, and saw Beldum with its rear claw clenched and his eye full of determination. The meaning was clear: _we're not done fighting yet._

And at that, a confident grin shone on Sawyer's face. Steven Stone would've never surrendered, neither would've Wally, and he had no intention to be different. Thus, he stared back at Taylor as he took a battle stance.

"You'll never defeat Mr. Stone." Beldum floated above him, and Sawyer's grin widened. "And you aren't going to catch us, either."

"That's all to see." Taylor paused and snapped her fingers. "Bug Squadron, Attack Pattern Theta."

Masquerain, Beautifly and Ninjask quickly surrounded Sawyer and Beldum, charging several attacks; which ones Sawyer didn't identify, as he rolled back on the ground and scurried over for cover. As attacks flew around and almost hit him, the boy managed to scamper out of sight and barely make it behind a large rock; he pressed his back over the flat stone, sweat pouring down his face and heart thumping over his chest. Beldum gave an once-over to the other side, then shook his head. Taylor didn't make it to them yet.

Sawyer sighed in relief, and then observed Beldum again. They needed a plan, and fast: through all their fighting and training, he understood that he had Hold Back, Iron Head, Zen Headbutt and Iron Defense, a lot more moves than the average Beldum but still a moveset that relied heavily on getting close to the opponent, not the best when outnumbered and overpowered. And yet, Sawyer was sure there could've been _something_ he could do now.

And then the rock was blasted to pieces, and Sawyer rolled over the ground again. He felt pain as his back met another stone, but that took a backseat as he saw Taylor walking back towards him, Bug-types still in formation and Mightyena, Swellow and Pelipper ready for further orders.

Sawyer gulped, then homed back on Beldum, and traded a nod with it. He faced Taylor again. "Beldum, Iron Defense and Iron Head on the ground!"

Beldum shimmered a metallic hue and slammed over the floor with added weight. The localized earthquake made Taylor and her Mightyena lose her footing, and Sawyer sprung up to run again. He needed some time to reorganize his thoughts, plan something, and-

Ninjask blurred right into Sawyer's face, and the boy flinched and fell on the ground. Beldum tried to Zen Headbutt the Bug-type out of the way, only for a Signal Beam to blast him next to Sawyer. The shiny writhed in pain, and only barely managed to get back up. And as he did, Taylor had already reached him, all her Pokémon closing on Sawyer in a circle. The girl seemed to frown as she fixed her glasses and stared over Sawyer.

"Pathetic." Taylor shook her head, almost disappointed. "Do you think I haven't planned things over? I set up Masquerain and Ninjask to block your way out with their superior speed, Beautifly to be ready to unleash status effects in case you ran too far from us, Swellow to be able to search quickly for you, Mightyena to recover you swiftly, and Pelipper to block your path if all else fails, and this was but one of the seventeen combinations I came up with so far. I analyzed you before attacking, and that's why I'll win."

The Admin strode closer, while Sawyer could only back down until his back was once more on a rock. Taylor allowed herself a small grin as she nudged at Masquerain. "Knock him out."

Masquerain nodded, and charged the multicolored light of a Signal Beam. Beldum weakly floated between the attack and his temporary trainer, but Sawyer knew it would be for naught. The boy closed his eyes and braced himself for the impact, as the light turned into a beam.

And then, a voice rose. "Gust!"

The brief gust was enough to thrust the beam out of the way, leaving Taylor and Sawyer puzzled. The Team Zenith Admin stepped back, frowning and holding her glasses. "What? I didn't gather data on that while I analyzed-"

"Analyze _this_!"

From their left, an angry blue ball flew at Taylor and tackled her to the ground, sending her team in disarray as they scrambled towards their trainer. Sawyer blinked in confusion, until he felt someone grab his hand. As he looked at his side, he widened his eyes as Ryuga and his Swablu stared back at him.

He tried to speak, but the Draconid boy shook his head. "Later. Let's run now!"

Sawyer agreed, and he and the Draconid ran away with Beldum in tow. From the corner of his eye, Sawyer could see Bagon jumping off Taylor and rushing after them, a well-aimed Dragon Breath by it and Swablu stopping the Team Zenith Admin and her Pokémon from following them. Ryuga jumped from depression to rock with quick, pointed jumps, with Sawyer struggling to keep up even with adrenaline kicking in, and with Bagon destroying rocks and small pillars around them to keep Taylor busy. The frantic race continued until Ryuga found a large enough rock, allowing him, Sawyer and their Pokémon to finally stay still.

The young Draconid gave a quick look to their surroundings, then smiled and pressed his back on the rock, relief on his face.

"That witch won't find us here, we can rest." He turned back to Sawyer, arms folded. "You alright?"

"I think," Sawyer said as he held his chest, his breathing shallow and his heart in overdrive. However, he couldn't help but notice the various bruises and cuts over his body. "You?"

Ryuga checked his body, and then gave him a quick shrug. "It's just a scratch, I've been hurt worse."

Sawyer blinked, unsure if to find that impressive or worrisome. In the end he shook his head, and chose to change topic.

"Why are you here? I thought they only called warriors to come with us."

"Oh, I just followed you and the others from the distance. There were a few things I wanted to talk about." Ryuga smiled sheepishly, until his gaze shifted back to the battle waged near them. "I didn't expect you all to get into an actual war, though."

Sawyer swallowed as he looked back as well. "Neither did I."

The ongoing battle was still pretty even, but it was clear that the tide would turn soon: the Draconids were being pushed into the corner more and more by well-aimed Flying-type attacks, while the Team Zenith grunts focused on reducing their area control and Carly took care of destroying every Draconid on her path. There didn't seem to be any actual casualties yet, but both boys could see that it was only a matter of time before the battle would turn bloody. Sawyer turned back to Ryuga, and was concerned to see even the fearless Draconid was afraid.

"They're strong." Ryuga frowned, before he went back to Sawyer. "You're smart, right? Any super special plan to destroy these guys?"

Sawyer rubbed his chin in thought, glancing both ahead and down towards Carly, currently ordering several Shadow Balls with Mightyena against a barrage of Shelgon.

"That girl and the other one down the path seem to be the leaders of the operation. They need to be dealt with."

Ryuga beamed and pumped his fists. "Great! Let's kick their butts, then!"

The boy tried to jump up and into the fight, until a familiar blowing wind cut the air and Sawyer pulled the Draconid down just in time to not lose his head. He forced Ryuga closer on the rock, as he eyed Taylor approaching in the distance with Swellow slicing every potential hiding place on her path. She got closer and closer, the wind blows growing stronger and further reaching, and the boys held their breaths. The Admin didn't stop, continuing closer, and closer, until she was mere feet from their hiding place.

She glanced over the rock, and Sawyer could feel his heart skipping a beat. And then, she turned around, probably searching elsewhere first, with Swellow flying overhead.

Sawyer sighed in relief, but his heart continued to race. With Flying-types looking for them, they didn't have much time on their side, even moreso as he and Ryuga noticed the large amounts of craters and rubble left in Taylor's wake. They waited until she and Swellow were distant enough to breathe again and look back at each other, still keeping an eye for any of Taylor's other Pokémon.

Sawyer clenched his fists and furrowed his brow. "We can't win this with a battle."

"And how, then? They're way too strong and there's too many of them."

Sawyer opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He tried to think, to analyze, to plan, but his mind came up with nothing, even as he turned to his notebook, Taylor in the distance, and even Ryuga. Too many doubts, too many variables, and not enough possibilities were all coalescing together, and there seemed to be no way out. Sawyer rubbed his forehead, and struggled to breathe.

"I don't know," the boy said, gulping and sweating.

Ryuga's gaze turned serious as he patted Sawyer's shoulder. "Hey, calm down. A true warrior can't let fear get to them in the heat of battle."

Sawyer tried to breath slowly, his heart calming just a bit as the Draconid gave him a thumbs up. Compared to how dumb and impulsive he could be, Ryuga seemed almost a different person now, as he gave him a supportive smile and rubbed his shoulder. He then felt two bumps on his legs, and turned to see Beldum and Bagon both rubbing their bodies close to Sawyer while sending him serious looks. The boy appreciated the gesture, and rubbed both their heads. Once again, the meaning was clear: they were ready to fight if needed, and awaiting orders. Sawyer smiled at that, and observed both Pokémon until he noticed the many little scars dotting the Dragon-type's helmeted head. And then, something clicked.

"Uhm..." Sawyer squinted his eyes towards Bagon, and then rubbed his neck. "I'm sorry to ask, but can you help us out?"

The Dragon-type nodded and smiled back. Ryuga crooked an eyebrow, instead.

"Did you get an idea?"

"Maybe." Sawyer smiled, observing Bagon's head again. "You said this is the angriest Bagon of Meteor Falls, right?"

"Yeah. Even before the injury he was all about headbutting walls and the like."

Sawyer touched Bagon's head slowly: even with the clear wear it had, it was still sturdy and battle-ready. He then analyzed Swablu, Beldum, and the area around them, and the tangled mess of fears and worries unfurled into a plan. He raised both hands and formed a rectangle with his fingers, studying the area through it.

Ryuga titled his head. "What're you doing now?"

"Thinking." Sawyer held his rectangle closer, without losing focus.

Ryuga seemed confused, only to grin right after. "You got the super special plan, so?"

"I'm not sure if it will work, but it's worth a try." Sawyer stopped his analysis and turned back to Ryuga, holding a clenched fist. "But to do that, I'll need your help."

"Sure, Sootopolitan." Ryuga thumped his chest proudly. "The bravest Draconid warrior is at your service!"

Sawyer couldn't help but smile again. "Thank you. So, this is what I have in mind..."

And thus, Sawyer explained his idea in detail, with Ryuga following every single detail. It was probably crazy and very risky, but it was the only chance they probably had to win quickly, and Sawyer wouldn't let that stop him from trying.

* * *

Ryuga had always been a brave child, though most of the other Draconids preferred to call him 'boneheaded' instead. Regardless of words, one thing didn't change: in his veins flowed the blood of the ancient Draconid warriors, and he would've done anything to uphold said legacy.

Sure, it was hard to be getting closer to that dangerous woman with glasses and her scary Flying-types, but he had to trust the Sootopolitan on that plan; thinking that he was cooperating with one was still pretty odd, but there wasn't much else he could do now and the kid had twice Ryuga's brain on his side. Plus, Ryuga doubted there were many chances he could punch his way out of problems this time.

And thus, Ryuga sighed and focused back on the area, sticking his head out of the rock he was hiding behind only to find no trace of Taylor anymore. The boy gritted his teeth and looked around, body pressed over another rock. Even after several minutes, however, he saw no trace of the Team Zenith Admin.

Ryuga gulped, gathered his courage, and took the first steps out of his hiding spot. Once again, no trace of his opponent, even if she seemed to patrol the path. Ryuga raised an eyebrow: where had she gone? Did she go for the Sootopolitan instead and ignored him? Dread washed over Ryuga, and he turned around and tried to run away.

And then, he ducked just in time to avoid Masquerain's Signal Beam. Ryuga rolled out of the way and back on his feet, dodging an attempted Slash by Ninjask in the project. As he stood again, Ryuga frowned as he saw the two Bug-types circling around him, until he eyed a short passage to the side, half-hidden by a rock. Without a pause, he rushed that way and slid over the hard rocks and into the passage, ignoring the pain as he left the Bug-types behind, with Ryuga praying the Dragon Lord for the passage to not be a dead end.

Thankfully it wasn't, and Ryuga enjoyed the light again before he stood and walked back towards the valley. He needed to get away from that place, and-

A sharp wing struck the boy on the side, blasting him several feet away and making him keel over the ground. Ryuga held his stomach as he gazed ahead, where a Swellow landed and stared him down. It was soon joined by a Beautifly ready to spore him, a Pelipper aiming for him skyward, and a Mightyena holding the ground near Swellow. And then, the Admin with glasses arrived, Masquerain and Ninjask in tow.

"Damn." The boy grimaced, as the Admin strode closer to him.

"Lulling your enemy in a false sense of security and then striking at them is a basic but always effective tactic," the woman explained. Ryuga didn't know if she was talking to herself or to him, but that didn't matter as she squinted her eyes and checked him out.

"You're a Draconid kid, yet you were looking for me instead of joining the big battle." She reached up to the boy, and grabbed him by the chin. "Ergo, either you're a runt way over your head, or you're trying to cover for the kid I'm looking for. Given your attempt to run away, I wager it's the latter."

She squeezed his cheeks, and her stare grew colder. "Therefore, you'll lead me where he is, now."

"Like I'd do that, jerk!" Ryuga yelled, teeth bared and stare burning.

Taylor continued to look him with some amusement for a few seconds. As the boy's expression remained unchanged, she shook her head.

"You've made your choice, I see." She nudged at Beautifly. "String Shot."

The Bug-type flew right on Ryuga's face, then swiftly sprouted the silk all around the Draconid's body: before he could fight back, his whole form save for his head was encased in a makeshift cocoon. The boy fell on the ground, and Taylor crouched and stared again at him.

"I could kill you here and now. A Draconid kid dying would probably be quite a shock for our opponents." She adjusted her glasses and studied the silk. "But you'll be more of use alive right now."

She rose back up, and gestured at her team. "Carry him."

The Bug-types, Swellow and Pelipper heard the order, and they swiftly set Ryuga over Mightyena as they followed Taylor. Ryuga held his breath and sweated cold as he stared after the Admin, and they walked back towards the brawl.

* * *

The battle between the Draconids and Team Zenith was still raging, but by now it was clear who the winner would've been. The tribe was being pushed more and more into a corner, while the Zenith grunts were free to gang up on them and pick each Draconid warrior a few at a time. Sure, there was the occasional clever tactic by Zinnia or someone else that allowed the Draconids to briefly gain the upper hands, but the advantages were quickly nullified by Team Zenith's teamwork and strategy.

Carly was more than happy at that turn: with all the time Team Zenith had spent in hiding, it had been ages since she last was in a nice big brawl. Fighting was her life, and being thrust in that triumph of violence was the best reward Zevie could've given her.

She surveyed the battlefield over her Tropius, mirth shining in her eyes at every explosion or knocked out Draconid. She swiftly dodged a couple of Flamethrowers and an incoming Dragon Breath, before she replied in kind with a well-aimed Solar Beam or Wing Attack. The explosions and screams that ensued were music to her ears, and she laughed at her foes while the rest of her team dealt with the groundbound enemies.

"Yes! Just like that! Blow them to bits, Tropius!" She yelled, and her trusty Grass/Flying-type was more than happy to oblige: another Solar Beam flew, slicing through the side of a mountain and almost blowing up several Draconids, which were forced to retreat right into a contingent of Zenith grunts. She patted her partner's head, and they shared a healthy grin. "Good work! Now, let's do that again!"

"Careful, or you'll cause a rockslide."

Carly's smile died just a little as she eyed the ground, seeing that Taylor had returned from her little 'recon trip', or whatever she wanted to call it this time.

"Sure, sure, Taylor, don't worry." She gave a dismissive wave as she and Tropius flew towards their colleague. Taylor dropped off her partner, and walked towards the other Admin. "So, what's the status update?"

"The Draconid forces are slowly losing ground." A rare smile lit up Taylor's face as she analyzed the cornered Draconids. "Their defeat is estimated in fifteen minutes at best."

Carly huffed and stared at the enemy forces with a frown. "Already? Oh, come on. I hoped for this to last longer."

"Efficiency takes priority over enjoyment."

"Killjoy." Taylor rolled her eyes, until they fell on Taylor's Mightyena and the encased boy it carried. "What's that?"

"Bait." Taylor took off her glasses, and cleaned them absentmindedly. "He'll lead a precious pawn straight in your hands, if his friend decides to play hero and save him."

Carly yawned and focused back on the battle. "You and your complicated plans. Why get so complex when a good beating is enough?"

"Sometimes a little bit of finesse is just what is needed to end a war."

"Not that things will change much." She raised her gaze, and contemplated Zevie's Altaria aiming for Steven's Metagross and forcing it on the defensive. "Zevie's almost done and is keeping Stevie in check. We've won already."

Taylor put her glasses back on beforeshe shrugged. "Better safe than sorry."

Carly didn't dignify that of a response: they had been colleagues for years, but the two Admins would've never seen eye to eye on the art of battling. Taylor would've always preferred the coward way instead of blasting their opponents in fair combat, but at the very least it brought results, and that was all that mattered for the glory of Team Zenith.

The muscular Admin shook her head and looked back at her opponents and jumped back on Tropius. If she only had fifteen minutes of so to fight, she would've sure as heck enjoyed them.

"Heh heh heh."

Both Carly and Taylor paused, then turned towards the kidnapped boy. He wore a face-splitting grin, and seemed far more amused than worried.

Carly squinted her eyes. "Why are you laughing?"

"Nothing. It's just fun how you think you'll win."

Carly stared at the happy kid puzzled, before she faced Taylor. In a rare display of emotion, she seemed just as clueless as Carly was. Her colleague folded her arms and stared back at the boy.

"Looks like you don't realize the situation you're stuck in now." Her glare sharpened. "You're here, defenseless, and your kind is on the losing side. And the moment your friend comes for us, we'll be ready to capture him too."

The kid's smile only widened. "Oh, really? You should get ready, then."

Carly didn't understand, but Taylor froze at that comment. She turned around and searched every rock, until her gaze fixated on the top of a nearby rock. Carly turned that way as well, finding a green-haired kid looking down at them with a challenging glance.

Taylor didn't waste time, and pushed up her glasses. "Attack Pattern Tau."

All of Taylor's Flying-types heard the cue, making a beeline for the kid with Beautifly in tow. The boy jumped off the rock and ran out of sight, but not before yelling something of his own.

"Now!"

Carly was even more confused at that call, until she and Taylor heard a distinct flutter of wings, and turned up to see a Swablu descending towards them, carrying a shiny Beldum on its rear claws and with a Bagon holding onto it. She raised an eyebrow at the weird formation, even as it meteored towards them.

Taylor instead frowned. "Team, switch to Attack Pattern-"

"I get it!" Carly grinned and jabbed at the trio of airborne Pokémon. "Everyone, concentrate on that Swablu!"

That earned her a wide-eyed stare from Taylor, but she paid no mind to it: if they had to annihilate three weak and unevolved Pokémon, that would've been an easy job. Her team and the majority of the Zenith grunts abandoned the battle and focused on the three Pokémon, and several kinds of blasts lit up the sky: Hydro Pumps, Air Slashes, Dark Pulses, Tri-Attacks and everything in between. Carly beamed at the spectacle of lights, the taste of victory as sweet as ever-

Only to turn very bitter as she saw the trio managing to swiftly navigate around each attach, which were instead blasting either Mt. Chimney's rocky walls or worse, their own Pokémon. This led only to more attacks, and the whole sky was engulfed in a confusing mess of hits and blasts.

Carly wasn't sure what to think, until she turned to her colleague; Taylor held her fists clenched, and her gaze was far harsher.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm taking care of those weaklings! You think about catching the kid!" Carly yelled as she kept her focus on the incoming Pokémon, somehow managing to keep their descent steady in the face of the barrage of hits.

Taylor placed her arms akimbo, her stare near murderous. "Recall that. We're just wasting time and moves by focusing on that alone, they're too small to aim properly. You _know_ I'm the brains here."

Carly was tempted not to listen to her, until she heard many familiar cries and saw several Team Zenith Pokémon fall to the ground, friendly fire carpet bombing the battlefield. She turned back to Taylor, her expression unchanging.

"Okay, okay, calm down!" Carly raised both arms, then cupped her hands over her mouth. "Everyone, please-"

She screamed before she could finish as pain seared through her body. Lifting her arm, she saw the cocooned boy biting her, all while sending them a mocking grin. She widened her eyes, and even Taylor seemed appalled.

Carly shook the Draconid back to the ground, fists ready to hit. "You little-"

"The time's now! Do it, Swablu!"

As the other boy popped back up and gave his order, everyone faced the incoming Pokémon: Swablu took its cue and charged its rear claws, tossing Beldum forward. The Steel-type bulletted through the maelstrom of attacks, its speed raising further and further, until Bagon leapt off it and aimed down, head ready to struck as it reached terminal velocity.

Taylor was quick to raise a hand. "Defense Pattern Aegis!"

Her team flew back towards her trainer, and the Bug-types rose a Protect all around Taylor and Carly. They braced themselves for the Bagon turning into a blood splatter over the Protect, as Carly's Gyarados and Dodrio readied themselves to strike-

And then Bagon missed them completely, flying overhead and impacting straight on the ruined mountain wall behind them.

Carly and Taylor had no words, as the 'Defense Pattern Aegis' dissipated and they stared at the Bagon-shaped hole adding just a little more ruin to the disastered rocky surface. Then, Carly didn't waste much to grin again and look mockingly towards the green kid's hiding place.

"Hah! Nice move, loser!"

The boy didn't stop smiling as he looked over the mountain. For some reason, that brought shivers down Carly's spine.

Shivers that only heightened as a cracking sound was heard, and she felt Taylor grab her hand. "Run."

The burly woman didn't seem to understand yet, until the cracking sound ceased, and the rolling one started. And then she saw the mountain wall crumble, and a wave of rocks flowing straight towards them, with even more raining from the mountain top.

It didn't take an order from anyone before the Admins and the grunts rushed away from the incoming doom, swiftly recalling their groundbound Pokémon and focusing only on the road ahead. A few of the most foolish grunts tried even to fight back the wave, but at the first failed attempts everyone was quick to focus only on saving their skin.

The battle forgotten, the remnants of Team Zenith was scattered by the wave: some were hit and thrown to the side of the path with a few bruises, others managed to fly away on their Flying-types after narrowly avoiding the falling rocks, while most of the others simply ran further ahead and hoped for the wave to stop before they did. Carly and Taylor were among the latter, short of breath as they rushed to safety on their Mightyena, all while Taylor's held the Draconid kid in his mouth as he just laughed at their predicament. Carly would've probably decked him if survival wasn't her main concern.

Fortunately, the two Admins found safety right ahead, in the form of a small trench: without missing a beat, Taylor and Carly dove inside, and remained there as the rocks passed overhead. It took a few minutes, but ultimately the rockslide was over with no significant damage to either of them.

Carly sighed in relief and popped her head out of the trench, with Taylor and a few other Team Zenith grunts following suit. A majority of what used to be the battlefield was now covered in rocks, with the once proud mountain wall reduced to a few scattered and cracked pebbles. The Team Zenith Admin scratched her head, and her eyes wandered back to the destruction. "How did that happen?"

"I just calculated the momentum and the strength needed to trigger that. Physics did the rest."

Carly and Taylor tensed up, and turned to see Sawyer walking towards them. He was spraying some Potions over Bagon's somewhat bloody head, but that didn't prevent either him or the Dragon-type from grinning at them.

Taylor tapped her Poké Balls almost instantly. "Team, Attack Pattern-"

A Dragon Breath flying overhead silenced her, moreso when she and Taylor noticed several Flygon, Altaria and Salamence surrounding them and the remaining Admins. Above them, many Draconids appeared ready to fry anyone who even dared touching a Poké Ball, having taken the time to regroup and surround them in a complete reversal of the previous situation. Carly was appalled, while Taylor simply adjusted her glasses once again, a brief smile lighting up her face.

"Impressive," she said.

Now victorious, the Draconids didn't waste time rounding up the grunts and the Admins, ensuring that none of them fought back; a few tried even to escape, but with the tables turned and no one able to mount a counteroffensive, their attempts were doomed to failure. Team Zenith had lost the battle, no ifs and no buts, and Carly was trying hard not to be annoyed by that.

As the green kid helped destroying the silk around the Draconid boy, the latter grinned at them. "See what I told you? You lost now!"

Carly and Taylor stared back at them, then back at each other. In spite of their predicament, they both grinned at once, to the boys' confusion.

The Draconid boy tilted his head. "What's so funny?"

"You don't understand, right?" Carly chuckled, then gave the kids a smug grin. "From the beginning, we weren't trying to defeat you. We just needed to stall you."

The Draconid scratched his head in confusion, but the green kid understood, turning around to the top of Mt. Chimney and widening his eyes towards the Megalith.

Carly couldn't help but laugh at that. Yes, Team Zenith had lost the battle, but in a few scant minutes, they would've won the war. And there was nothing Steven and his cronies could do to stop them.

* * *

 **And here it is, chapter 2 of the Steven Interlude: I know, last chapter I mentioned that this would've been the climax, but unfortunately the clash between Steven and Zevie started running rather long, and I thought it would've been better to give readers another stopping pointing before the last slice of the one-shot. I do hope this slice of the story didn't disappoint, though, with our first look at Zevie himself and his remaining Admins Carly and Taylor, with the defeat of the latters.**

 **As it can be probably inferred, I'm leaning heavily on making the upper echelons of Team Zenith composites of some traits of both teams it generated, some more obvious than others: specifically. Taylor represents the Magma Admins Courtney and Tabitha between having an obsession with analysis similar to the former and a haughty and smug disposition close to the latter (alongside having an unisex name as a nod to Tabitha's feminine name), while Carly represents the Aqua Admins Matt and Shelly between her muscular build and her somewhat aggressive streak respectively, alongside having a name ending in 'y' like Courtney and Shelly. As for Zevie, he's obviously a composite of the ORAS versions of Archie and Maxie themselves, both from a visual standpoint (having a beard like Archie, but being dressed like a scientist with eyewear like Maxie) and from a character one, with him being extremely passionate like ORAS Archie while also being a dedicated man of science like Maxie is, with his Altaria being a parallel to Archie's Sharpedo and Maxie's Camerupt in terms of signature two-stage Hoenn Pokémon line. I do hope that even with the obvious inspirations however, Team Zenith can manage to stand out and be fun as their own characters as well.**

 **It honestly pained me to have to not involve Claydol in the big brawl, but unfortunately it was somewhat necessary to justify the shiny Beldum. I also wanted to nod to Sawyer's original starter Treecko and make clear he technically already bonded with him even if he can't be there for obvious reasons, since I didn't like much the idea of having Sawyer have some Pokémon 'before' his first partner. As for the next school term, given this story is set in late Year One, my aim was to make it so Sawyer could be a trainer for around Year Three of the main story. I also hope that his interactions with Steven were done well and are serving the theme of the story about what can the older generation do for the next one in an effective way. I also hope to have given justice to Sawyer with his little crazy plan, and that his interactions with the reappearing Ryuga were fun to see: the little boneheaded Draconid boy is being quite a lot of fun to write, personally, and do hope he's being fun to read as well.**

 **The friend of Steven's father is actually Mr. Marshall, father of Tommy from the Kangaskhan Kid Gaiden. Just making it explicit in case anyone missed on that. The mention of Wind Works refers to Skyla Gaiden by partner555, where she ended up creating an unique move that creates an air current weather condition.**

 **I look forward to bringing forth the resolution of this story as soon as possible, and just like the first chapter, this is dedicated to my friend Wolflyn for all the support and help she's given me over this story so far. I really hope the resolution won't disappoint now.**

 **Also, I thank Fox McCloude, Ander Arias, edinosaur25, Crossoverpairinglover, Apex85, AzureTemplar3535 and partner555 for their reviews to the previous chapter. Thanks for reading this chapter, and see you in some weeks for the resolution of this story!**


	3. Chapter 3

Steven clenched his jaw and rubbed his forehead as he observed the ongoing battles from his vantage point over Metagross. Pelipper and Dodrio were still holding his Fossil Pokémon at bay, Aggron was still confused and Mightyena attempted to Swagger Skarmory into it as well, Altaria was still trying to fend off him and Metagross, and most damningly, Xatu and Crobat's Wind Shield was still keeping the Megalith shard safe from any attack. He still had no clear idea of what Zevie was doing, but he knew stopping the machine seemed like a good start.

It was a shame Zevie probably anticipated it, and his divide and conquer tactic was working a bit too well. None of his Pokémon were yet knocked out or fatigued, but from just a glance he could tell their performances start to noticeably drop, and the fact they couldn't cooperate or be directed was putting further dampers on their efficiency. Metagross tried to reach for the ground and help out the rest of his companions, only to need to twirl on itself and raise again to avoid Altaria's Flamethrower, flying straight in the intersection of four wormholes.

Metagross veered to the side, and Steven gripped to its progressively hotter sides as they floated to safety as the blasts collided. As his partner braked to a halt, Steven shook his head and stared back at Altaria. He frowned: they were in check, but it wasn't a checkmate yet. If they wanted to break it, they needed to act now.

Thus, the Champion jabbed at Xatu behind them. "Flash Cannon!"

Metagross spun on itself and flew onward, the shiny sphere of metal lighting up and then zooming towards Xatu. Steven smiled and waited, until he felt a searing hotness, and Metagross screamed.

The Champion could only catch glimpses of Altaria's Flamethrower as Metagross floated away in pain, the Flash Cannon diverted onto the side of Mt. Chimney and missing Xatu completely. Steven gripped Metagross' sides and clenched his jaws, an unspoken command blaring in his and Metagross' head as the lava became uncomfortably close.

Metagross pulled its limbs closer and made a complete one-eighty, spiking up for the air again until they were safely away from the volcano's pit. Steven held close his first partner all the while, and only sighed in relief as danger was away. He gave his partner a quick once over, and breathed in relief as he saw no lasting damage aside from a pitch-black patch of metal. He and Metagross filed that for later as they faced Altaria again, as the Dragon/Flying-type circled around them. Champion and Steel-type remained on guard, and waited for its move.

The moment Steven saw fire crackling in Altaria's maw, he snapped his fingers. "Bullet Punch!"

Metagross thrusted itself forward towards Altaria, arm shining a metallic hue. On the ground, Zevie chuckled.

"Cotton Guard, Altaria," Zevie said while fixing his goggles.

A wall of cotton formed in front of Altaria, and then it blew its wings. Metagross couldn't stop as he flew at high speed, and the barrage of cotton stuck right to him and Steven. White clouded their vision, even as the attack connected; he could hear Altaria grumbling in pain, and several fists fending the air instead, probably missing. Metagross still went on.

As Steven ripped the cotton off his eyes, he saw Altaria several feet away, looking annoyed but not as damaged as he hoped. Steven assumed it was the Cotton Guard in action.

He couldn't dwell further on it as familiar wormholes tore the sky open, and blasts came by faster than ever. Metagross cringed in pain as the barrage of hits homed right on it and its previous injury, and Steven desperately tried to avoid the hits. The storm of hits was going on, and each blast was closer than the previous one. He was stuck over his partner, and he was growing hotter and less stable every second.

Thus, Steven took a gamble.

He gave a nice pat on his Metagross' head, stared at the emptiness ahead, and grabbed his partner's Poké Ball. Then, he crouched and _leapt_ into the air.

Steven turned around and pointed his Poké Ball at Metagross. "Return!" he yelled, and his partner was recalled to safety. Gravity pulled him down, and as he meteored to the battlefield, the Champion chanced a smile and met his Skarmory's gaze.

The Steel/Flying-type was fast to take flight and lunge straight for him. Steven extended his arm and caught his Pokémon's back, then hopped over it with almost trained skill, just a few feet from the ground.. Now back in flight, Steven almost smiled at how Zevie and Altaria appeared stunned. The gamble paid off, and it was time to double in.

"Cradily, Ancient Power!" And swiftly, he saw his Grass/Rock-type throw her head to the side and fire a salvo of giant rocks. Altaria flew under them, but Altaria didn't let up, forcing Zevie's ace closer and closer to the ground.

Smashing right into Aggron's way, just as it snapped out of confusion. The Dragon cried at the impact, before it rolled over the ground writhing in pain.

Steven didn't smile as Altaria was now groundbound, and instead veered out of an Ice Beam's path and then focused on the ground. Dodrio, Pelipper and Mightyena all stared over to them, a Tri-Attack, a Scald and a Fire Fang on the ready. He gave Skarmory a quick pat, and his Pokémon shot out of the way of the incoming attacks.

Then it stopped overhead, just in position to aim for everyone. And then, Steven snapped his fingers again. "Toxic!"

Skarmory circled around itself as the venom blast rained down, too fast for Pelipper to use Protect: he could spy Zevie's three Pokémon taking on a much more purple tint, smiled, and then turned back to the Megalith as he heard Armaldo, Cradily and Aggron dealing with their groundbound adversaries.

Skarmory took for Xatu and Crobat once more, Steven holding tightly to him. And then, Zevie's order boomed.

"Blast him out of the skies."

Steven didn't need context as Skarmory veered around a Flamethrower, and Altaria swiftly caught up to them, fury burning in its eyes. Another tongue of fire blared in their way, and from the ground even an Ice Beam and Tri-Attack ensued from known sources. Steven wasn't surprised, even as the world spun all around him as Skarmory made several rollings and dodge maneuvers while aiming for the Wind Shield, Altaria always circling around him and each blast growing closer. Steven pursed his lips into a frown, and palmed a Poké Ball again; he remained calm however, even as the blasts grew larger and more unrelenting, and Skarmory was hit straight by a Flamethrower and-

An open formed, and Steven leapt off the burning Skarmory and right over Altaria. His blood turned cold as a Flamethrower seared inches from his face, and then he fell for the lava. Or would've, if he didn't toss his Poké Ball again.

A light shone, and Metagross materialized under him. Altaria was quick to blast another Flamethrower right at them.

Metagross spun upwards, and Steven caught on one limb. As Metagross rolled around another tongue of fire, Steven managed to take back his position above his partner. He then traded a glance with the injured Skarmory.

He gave a curt nod, and tackled right into Altaria as he spiraled to the ground. His claws dug on the Dragon-type, and Zevie's Pokémon couldn't break free.

The Flying-types freefalled towards the battlefield, and Steven and Metagross could turn back to the Wind Shield. Trainer and Pokémon shared a nod, and shot back towards the barrier of Air Slashes.

Steven held close to Metagross once more, sticking close to it a Scald and a Tri-Attack almost blew them back towards the lava. Pelipper and Dodrio lunged back at him, readying other strikes.

And then, a barrage of rocks and several giant boulders forced them on the defensive. Before they could attack again, the Rock Blast and the Ancient Powers kept piling up, and Metagross was able to break forward. Steven shared a quick nod with Cradily and Armaldo as they kept the Flying-types at bay, and then focused on the machinery ahead. The Champion could hear the cries, the hits and the explosions of every Pokémon around him, and knew his Pokémon were doing their best to win. He and Metagross couldn't put any less effort now.

And thus, as they finally were inches from Xatu and Crobat, Steven pointed ahead. "Meteor Mash!"

Metagross' limbs shone of a bright white, charged them, and then exploded in a flurry of attacks. Xatu and Crobat tried to stop and focus, but it was too late.

The Two Pokémon were blown straight on the machinery, cracking it ever-so-slightly. The Air Slash currents ceased, and the Megalith Shard lost its shield. Steven's eyes glimmered with satisfaction.

"We did it," Steven said as a smile parted his lips. He immediately shook his head and returned serious as he cleched his fists. "Metagross, let's go again. Meteor-"

"Wind Shield, Beta Formation."

Xatu and Crobat flew forward again, taking on opposite positions, and the Air Slashes began anew. The air currents enveloped the Megalith shard again stronger than before. Steven widened his eyes, but quickly snapped out of it as he searched around. And then he found Xatu and Crobat again, each enveloped in an Air Slash from the other Pokémon as they spun around their own Air Slashes, simultaneously covering themselves and weaving their defense thicker than before.

Steven sharpened his glare, and pointed on again. "Metagross, use-"

A loud explosion blared behind him, and a meteor shower rained over Mt. Chimney. Champion and Pokémon could only turn around as they saw the incoming Draco Meteor homing right for him, too close for a Protect.

Ever swift, Metagross tried to zoom past the rocks, the lava spills and the meteor shards forcing it on a narrow path. Steven turned around in search of an opening, the rocks dominating his field of vision-

And then one impacted right over Metagross.

The Steel-type wasn't harmed that much by the blast, but Steven was blasted right out of Metagross, and back into the air. Everything was a blur as the Champion tried to understand what was going on. He spotted Metagross trying to come for him until another Draco Meteor stopped it on its tracks, and then he saw the ground, where Skarmory was writhing on the ground and keeping Mightyena at bay. He couldn't call on anyone, and he continued to fall faster and faster-

And then, two strong pair of arms grabbed him in mid-air, and brought him back to the ground to safety. As the world stopped spinning, Steven recognized the arms as he traded a content grin with his Aggron, just as his Steel/Rock-type gently let him back on the ground. All the while, the meteor shower ended, and calm returned to Mt. Chimney.

Steven held his forehead, breathing heavily as his heart thumped against his chest, as his team of Pokémon gathered around him and Metagross floated at his side. They all looked onward, where Zevie was pacing calmly towards them with all his Pokémon following him, and Altaria landing next to him. In the background, the Megalith shard started pulsing eerily and casting a green light over the top of the volcano, which only made Zevie appear to be even more satisfied with the proceedings.

"Did you seriously believe I didn't have other aces in the hole? Only a fool plays their best cards all at once." Zevie grinned, giving Steven's team an amused glance. "In all honesty, I'm quite impressed. I thought I would be able to stall you with just the first formation."

Steven slitted his eyes. "You don't remember who you're facing, then."

"Maybe. But I won't lie, it's nice to see you're as tough a cookie as always." Team Zenith's leader gave a lighthearted smile, only to turn serious and rise a hand to his goggles. "But I'm not here to have fun, and it's time to let the kids' gloves off."

The man tapped his headgear twice, and a shining stone appeared right on the left side of it. A small, multicolored one that Steven was very familiar with. Steven couldn't help but grimace as he spotted a larger, still multicolored stone attached to one of Altaria's wings, hidden between the fluff.

Zevie touched his Keystone, and rose his free hand skyward. "It is time to take to the skies even higher, Altaria! Show us the zenith of what your kind can offer!"

The Keystone and Altarianite shone at once, and Altaria soared high and spread its wings: the fluff around its body grew bigger and more voluminous, receding from its chest but expanding on its tail, forming a cloud-like mass on its back, a collar around its neck, and a hat-like crest over its head. As the light faded, Mega Altaria let out a majestic cry as he stared down at its opponents with a wicked grin unfitting for such a beautiful creature, one shared with its trainer.

"Mega Altaria, the zenith of the Altaria species." Zevie crossed his arms behind his back once more, stare up to his partner Pokémon. "We've reached for greatness together since we were just a kid and his Swablu, and after many struggles, we attained the ultimate power."

The man grinned afterwards. "Do you really think you can match all the work we've put in this operation? Do you seriously think you can win against us?"

As he studied the Mega Evolution, the Champion appeared forlorn. He had seen his share of Altaria and Mega Altaria thanks to Wallace's niece, Drake and Winona, and he knew how powerful they could be in the right hands. And he knew very well that Zevie's Altaria was far from the gentle soul its species usually was. Even with a type advantage over the now Dragon/Fairy, that wouldn't have been an easy battle, especially with the Megalith pulsating brighter every second, and the Wind Shield still up.

Steven shared a glance with all his Pokémon: they were battered, bruised and just a bit tired, but their eyes burned with the same determination to win as they always did, the same determination that crowned them as the best team of the Hoenn region.

With renewed resolve, Steven's smiled back at Team Zenith's leader and his Mega Altaria, and so did all his Pokémon.

"You really don't remember, do you?" Steven held a hand over his chest, his gaze turning more serious than before. "I'm Steven Stone, and I'm many things: Champion of the Hoenn region, heir of the Devon Corporation, and first line of defense against anyone who wants to destroy my home region. Unfortunately, 'patient' isn't one of them."

He grabbed the Mega Pin on his lapel and kissed the Keystone on it lightly, before holding it high. "Let's show them what we're _truly_ made of, Metagross!"

The Keystone shone bright, and the Metagrossite on Metagross' right forelimb lighted up with it; as the energy enveloped Metagross, the Psychic/Steel-type floated skyward and extended its limbs, all four growing bigger and rearranging themselves vertically as four smaller ones sprouted behind it, a single pronged extremity appearing on its face, and its golden cross turning electric blue. As the light faded, Steven's Mega Metagross stared over its opponents in determination.

Zevie didn't appear troubled; if anything, his smile grew even brighter as he clapped excitedly.

"What an honor, to fight the Champion of Hoenn at his full power." He extended his arms to the sides, as Mega Altaria floated down. "But I've known you ever since you were an impulsive rookie. Team Zenith will be the one to triumph in the end."

Steven held his gaze on him as Mega Metagross lowered itself. "Not as long as I'm alive."

The Champion's team and the Team Zenith's leader's one kept staring at each other for a long time, each waiting for the first move of the other. And then, at once, Steven and Zevie hopped on their respective Mega Evolutions, and all the Pokémon lunged at each other for the second round of the battle.

The Fossils, Aggron and Skarmory didn't waste time to take on their opponents and blocking their path, while Mega Metagross and Mega Altaria circled around each other, both Steven and Zevie studying their opponent. The Champion was by no means an expert of every Mega Evolution, but he did know that Altaria was a Dragon/Fairy-type Pokémon, and with the change in typing came a weakness towards Steel-types. It was something to take advantage of.

And thus, Steven jabbed at Altaria. "Flash Cannon!"

The metallic beam flew towards Altaria, only for Zevie's Pokémon to gracefully fly out of the way; Metagross didn't pause, sending further Flash Cannons in an attempt to force Altaria on an open position. The Dragon-type wasn't going to just defend, however, as it opened his mouth and fired a high-pitched cry of Hyper Voice, the soundwaves looking much more pink than usual. The now Fairy-type Hyper Voice didn't damage Metagross heavily, but the blast itself was enough to toss Metagross back.

Metagross righted itself immediately and spun back towards Altaria, only to see wall of fire of a Flamethrower aiming right for them.

"Protect!" Steven shouted: the green barrier rose, and the wall of fire crashed over it. The blast was strong enough that the blast split in several directions, hot and searing enough to melt the rocks several feet under them. Beneath, Aggron and Skarmory were forced to move away from the blast and heat, while above Metagross' Protect started to crack under the pressure.

Steven pursed his lips, and gave Metagross a glance; the Steel-type nodded, aiming a Bullet Punch skyward and rocketing higher just as the flames consumed the energy shield.

"Draco Meteor!"

As Steven and Metagross turned downward again, they were welcomed by the meteor splitting in several smaller shards, all aiming for them. With a wordless command, Metagross' limbs glowed at once in several Bullet Punches, and the Steel-type flew straight at the Draco Meteor: each punch connected with a shard, shattering them into nothingness and propelling Metagross around towards other shards. Metagross zoomed all over the sky with trained expertise and in a clear rhythm, never letting even a shard hit it and never wasting even one hit as it reached closer for Altaria.

Zevie frowned at the incoming Metagross, even with a hint of amusement. "Flamethrower!"

Altaria readied the wall of fire, only for Metagross to reach his face faster; Steven was the one looking amused now.

"Smash with Protect!"

Metagross lunged towards Altaria, the Protect barried forming just as it smashed into the Flying-type, blasting it away; Metagross put itself in position even before Steven pointed ahead. "Flash Cannon!"

The steely laser flew once more, and once more Altaria dodged it majestically. But the attack had made it slower, and Steven and Metagross were quick to see an opening.

"Meteor Mash!"

Metagross' limb shone brightly as it closed the distance towards the opposing Mega, too fast for it or Zevie to react. Metagross decked Altaria out of the skies, and the Dragon-type meteored into a crater on the ground below; the shockwave was strong enough to throw Mightyena off balance, just enough for Aggron to Dragon Claw it to the ground. Zevie's Mightyena tried to valiantly stand up again, only for him to grimace at the poison, and finally fall unconscious.

Steven chanced a grin as Aggron let out a satisfied growl and moved towards Cradily and Armaldo. One less Pokémon to think about, maybe two-

His thoughts were interrupted as Altaria rose again, and a piercing war cry deafened the fighters; the Hyper Voice was strong enough to blast Steven's groundbound team away and allow Dodrio and Pelipper to surround and aim for them two at a time. Steven frowned, and then he saw another Draco Meteor aiming straight at him.

"Meteor Mash!" Before the meteor had a chance to split, Metagross shattered it away, the recoil strong enough to send them several feet away from Altaria, far enough for Steven to study their opponent: Zevie's Altaria had received several hits, and yet none seemed to have had any major effect. Plus, even after several Draco Meteors, it didn't seem like Altaria's strength had waned any less. Just _how_ did Zevie raise his Pokémon?

Steven put the question aside as he looked back at Metagross. Its Mega Ability was Tough Claws, and several Meteor Mashes had raised their attack power. Judging from the blast, their strength was at the very least double their usual output. The battle needed to be finished quickly, and he needed all the strength he could use.

In the meantime, the Draco Meteor's shards rained down the battlefield; the attack was sudden enough that Pelipper was forced to sharply dive away, giving Cradily and Armaldo enough time to go back to their Ancient Power and Rock Blast-powered offensive; Dodrio had to jump away too, which was enough for Skarmory to take the skies and keep it busy while Aggron blocked its path from the ground. Steven was sure he could trust his Pokémon to finish Zevie's Flying-types, and his attention turned to Mega Altaria once again.

As the Megas traded Bullet Punches and Flamethrowers once again, Steven studied their moves and Zevie's strategies, chill running down his spine as he noticed the leader of Team Zenith wasn't particularly worried still, even as he noticed the lack of Future Sights around them: whether it was for the Beta Formation preventing Xatu from launching them or some other reason, Steven was glad to have one less problem to take into account.

His focus however swiftly returned to Altaria as another Hyper Voice blasted Steven right in the path of an incoming Flamethrower; another Protect rose, and Steven tried to block Altaria with a Psychic. A last-second Draco Meteor was enough to break Metagross' concentration and break Altaria free, and the Dragon/Fairy-type began circling around Metagross while soaring even higher than before.

Zevie rose a hand, and snapped his fingers. "Cotton Guard, wide area!"

Altaria nodded, and the Dragon-type spun on himself, several layers of cotton spreading around and under him: the rain of fluff was intricate and strong enough to block any path towards him, and to force Steven's Pokémon to move out of the way. Several layers of cotton formed around Altaria while coating Pelipper and Dodrio, and by the grins they all sported, it was clear their special defenses were all buffed. Another Flamethrower flew, burning over the cotton path as it zoomed towards Metagross.

Steven and his Pokémon narrowly dodged the powered up blast, then turned to see Altaria cover up the path and readying another strike. Steven narrowed his eyes and was about to order a Meteor Mash, only for an eerie green pulse to the side to distract him.

The Champion only barely soared out of the Hyper Voice's range as his attention went back to the Megalith: the pulsations were becoming far brighter and frequent, and as he turned back to Zevie, he could see his grin only widen. Steven clenched his fists: Altaria and Zevie's other Pokémon were never the true enemy, and they needed to be defeated soon.

"Flash Cannon!"

Metagross' beam was buffetted by the cotton path set up all around Altaria, slowed down and weakened enough for Zevie's Pokémon to simply waltz out of the way. Steven frowned further; with the current set up, a swift defeat was impossible. He needed to find another way to stop Altaria's strategy from-

Something clicked in Steven's mind. It wasn't Altaria he was facing, it was _Zevie_. And that meant he knew how to stop him.

In the meantime, the Team Zenith Boss pointed towards the Champion. "Cotton Guard, wall! Then Hyper Voice!"

The cotton path formed in mid-air once more, and the piercing scream tossed all the balls of fluff against them in a maelstrom of white. Steven and his ace spun back in place, and the Champion's order boomed loud and clear.

"Psychic!"

All the balls of fluff braked suddenly in mid-air, then they bulletted back towards Altaria; Zevie's Dragon-type flew around to dodge his own Cotton Guard, and that's when Steven aimed at him.

"Meteor Mash!"

Metagross lunged faster than ever as its swing impacted straight into Altaria's stomach, and then held its punch as both Megas flew against the volcano's walls; Mega Altaria slammed on the hard rock, a spider web-like crack exploding upon impact. Zevie managed to hold back only barely, and mostly thanks to Mega Altaria's rear fluff cushioning the hit.

Steven didn't care for that, however. He sent Metagross a knowing glance, and they shared a nod as Altaria glared towards them.

"Keep them busy!" He yelled; the Hoenn Champion then leapt off his faithful starter and right over Altaria, pining Zevie over Altaria's back. Both Altaria and his trainer flinched at the move, but Altaria didn't have time to think about it as Metagross let go of the Meteor Mash to charge a Flash Cannon, forcing the Dragon-type to fly to safety. Metagross didn't let go as it fired further Flash Cannons, all while Steven continued to keep Zevie down.

"What the-" For the first time since they had met again, Zevie sounded positively angry. He frowned and glared at his Pokémon. "Make him fall down, Altaria!"

The Dragon/Fairy-type cried an affirmative, as he started to dodge straight into the cotton path while twirling and flipping through the air as fast as it could, dodging the steely beams while trying to toss Steven away; for its part, Steven only dug his feet into the Pokémon's sides and continued to hold Team Zenith's leader down, adrenaline and determination mixing for boundless strength as the Hoenn Champion grinned.

"Heh, Metagross had to outrun cave-ins once a week for years. This is nothing for us," he said matter-of-factly.

Zevie didn't seem to understand Steven's actions as he attempted to break free of the man's hold, at least until he spied Metagross abandoning the chase to move back towards Xatu and Crobat; Altaria barely managed to approach it before a well-aimed Flash Cannon held him at bay. It was then that Zevie grinned again and turned back to Steven.

"I see." The scientist chuckled. "Clever. You aren't trying to defeat my Pokémon, you're trying to keep _me_ from giving orders."

"It doesn't matter how strong each individual soldier is, a decapitated army is bound to lose fast," Steven said with finality.

Zevie didn't reply right away, as Altaria continued to flip and keep Metagross from making progress against the Wind Shield, even as each attack by the other Mega came dangerously more close. And then, Zevie laughed. Steven's hold grew ever-so-slightly weaker at that.

"You've really gotten impressive. You're really worthy of the title of Champion." Zevie's grin grew darker and surer. "But there's a reason why you won't win."

Steven tried to hold him back further. "What-"

"You should've tried to toss me into the lava." With a burst of strength, Zevie managed to free his hands and grab Steven's arms. "You don't have the courage to go all out for your convictions. And that's why you're going to lose."

Everything happened in less than a second: Altaria flipped skyward once more, and when it finally reached the zenith upside-down, Zevie gathered his strength and kicked Steven in the chest. The Champion lost his balance, and plummeted towards Mt. Chimney's crater.

All his Pokémon went into high alert, with Metagross and Skarmory both trying to fly to the rescue; Steven held his hands for both of them, only for the cotton path to close the way as Altaria's Hyper Voice and Pelipper's Ice Beam threw Steven's fliers out of the way. Steven could only cast one last look at his partners staring in pure horror at his fall, just as he turned back to the lava. There were no rocks to grab on the way, and as Altaria kept Metagross busy, he couldn't ask his partner to grab him with a Psychic.

There was nothing he could do. It was the end. And all Steven could think was how he had failed his family, his friends, and his entire region.

 _I'm sorry_ , was all Steven could think as he closed his eyes and the heat grew warmer.

And then, he heard the sharp sound of sliced wind, felt something yank him, and the heat cooled down more and more as he felt his body thrown on something solid and scaley. And then, he heard a familiar voice.

"I thought you could handle this yourself, Sootopolitan."

Steven opened his eyes slowly, finding Zinnia staring at him with a condescending look over her Salamence, as she flew through the cotton path and back to safety. He blinked a couple of times before he frowned to her. "Weren't you dealing with Carly and Taylor?"

"The little Sootopolitan you were bringing along caused a landslide and defeated the grunts there. I decided you could've used a hand here as they finished them."

"Thank you, I _really_ needed that." Steven adjusted his ascot as he chanced another look at the lava underneath. Then, both he and Zinnia turned towards the sealed Megalith as they landed on the ground, Pelipper and Dodrio still kept busy by Steven's Pokémon as Metagross floated down to his trainer.

After analyzing the Wind Shield, Zinnia folded her arms and turned to Steven. "What's keeping the Champion of Hoenn from destroying that thing?"

As if to answer her, Metagross raised a Protect just as a blast of Hyper Voice aimed towards her and Steven. As he hopped off Salamence and back on Metagross, the Champion gave Altaria and Zevie a cursory glance before he turned back to Zinnia.

"I might be a Champion, but let's just say I'm not particularly good at multitasking."

Zinnia chuckled in response, only for her to turn serious as she stared at Mega Altaria, her lips curling into a frown. "So, that's a Mega Altaria... a Dragon-type and a Fairy-type at once. What an aberration..." She shared a glance with her Salamence, and then faced the Megalith ahead. "I'm leaving that guy to you. I'll take care of the Megalith."

"Not to sound rude, but you're gonna need power to do that." Steven crooked an eyebrow.

Zinnia grinned back at him. "Who says I don't have it?"

She tapped over the spiral-shaped anklet she wore, and only then did Steven notice the shining Keystone embedded in it, and the ring holder around Salamence's tail. Stones and Pokémon shone at once, as Salamence's body grew more steamlined and its wings more aerodynamic. The light faded as soon as it started, and Zinnia's Mega Salamence shouted a war cry as its new form was revealed. The Lorekeeper gave another grin, and she and her Pokémon jetted towards the Megalith.

Steven couldn't help but be dazzled for a second, before he tapped Metagross' head and flew back into the battle once more.

As he heard Zinnia ordering Draco Meteors towards the Wind Shield and its makers, Steven spied Zevie holding onto Altaria and lunging at her, a Hyper Voice ready to be fired. Steven steeled his gaze, and crouched over his Pokémon's head for better balance. "Get in the way, Metagross!"

Metagross grunted in affirmative, rocketing right into the soundwaves and shielding Salamence. Zevie's lips were pursed into a dark frown as he glanced at the Champion once more.

"You won't stop us! Altaria, rise up and Draco Meteor!"

As the Dragon/Fairy-type soared further up and prepared the draconic comet, Metagross moved further up to intercept it: Steven knocked on his partner's head, and a blistering Flash Cannon flew straight for Altaria. The majestic dragon danced its way out of the attack, at the cost of a misshapen Draco Meteor that collapsed just as it was thrown.

"Psychic!" Metagross' eyes shone of a blue hue, and all the shards stopped in mid-air. Then Metagross stared at Altaria, and all the fragments of Draco Meteor were redirected back to the sender; their draconid power might've not posed danger to Altaria, but the rocks themselves definitely did.

Mega Altaria flew around the falling debris, with Zevie holding back a curse as he pointed skyward. "Hyper Voice! Destroy all these rocks!"

As the Fairy-enhanced scream travelled upward and disintegrated the Dragon-type attack, Steven could focus on his opponent, and how tight he was gripping on Altaria's body fluff as he stared skyward. He then faced Steven again, and his stare grew even more piercing. "Block them! Cotton Guard, over and over!"

As the barrage of cotton travelled towards Steven and Metagross, the Hoenn Champion couldn't help but feel reinvigorated. Zevie was angrier, less sure of the outcome, and much more hapzard in his strategy. The holes were showing, and Steven was ready to take advantage of it.

And with a snap of his fingers, he did. "Psychic!"

Just like the Draco Meteor, the balls of fluff braked in mid-air and turned back around at Metagross' thought. Altaria had to soar around to escape it, and that's when Steven locked on him and Zevie.

"This is the end! Meteor Mash, multi-limb style!" Steven yelled, and his trusty Metagross jetted towards Zevie and his ace, all its usable limbs lighting up and ready to swing.

Altaria tried to dive out of the way, only for a barrier of his own fluff to stop him on his tracks. Team Zenith's leader and his Pokémon stared at the incoming Metagross, and glared back defiantly.

"Hyper Voice!"

The piercing scream impacted over Steven and his Metagross, stronger than ever; the Fairy-enhanced move scraped over them, trying to blast the Champion and his Pokémon out of the way. However, even as the attack grew more intense and Metagross began to be knocked back, neither it nor its trainer were ready to give in.

Zevie and his Altaria had managed to push Steven and Metagross closer to their limits than any opponent since they gained the Champion title. They had fought almost valiantly, but the writing was on the wall: this was the final clash, the last move to end a battle that went on too long.

Steven Stone was many things. Too bad 'patient' wasn't one of them.

"Break through, Metagross!"

Metagross pushed through, stronger and stronger, defying the soundwaves and readying its steely and glowing fists. Altaria continued to scream against it, stretching its vocal chords to his absolute limits.

The Fairy-empowered sound clattered against its metal, Metagross didn't yield. It pushed further and further, closing the distance inch by inch, faster and faster-

And then _swung_ with all its power.

Altaria screamed as the hit connected and he was blown backwards, but Metagross didn't stop. It reached for Altaria and decked him with an uppercut, sending the Dragon/Fairy flying overhead as Zevie struggled to hold onto him. That was when Metagross jetted again, and all his limbs flared brighter than ever.

"Now!" At his trainer's call, the Steel-type shoot forward, unleashing a flurry of punches on the defenseless Altaria. It hit him over and over wherever they could, only growing faster and stronger with each hit, determination to win burning through each and every punch.

And then, after several agonizing seconds, Metagross struck one last Meteor Mash right on Altaria's jaw. The Pokémon cried in pain as Metagross floated away, then meteored towards the ground and crashed over the hard rocks, with Zevie losing his hold and crashing away from his partner.

Mega Altaria could only manage one last defiant glare before he fell on a heap and the energy dispelled, leaving only a defeated and unconscious Altaria.

As Steven adjusted his ascot, he traded a satisfied grin with his Metagross. _That_ was the power of the Hoenn Champion.

He turned back to the Wind Shield just in time to see another barrage of Draco Meteor explode over it, surviving even the sharp currents and blasting Xatu and Crobat right towards the rocks beneath, too tired to really do anything as their handiwork disappeared and the Megalith's tube was exposed again. At the same time, some well-aimed Dragon Claws and Rock Blasts were enough to send Pelipper and Dodrio collapsing on the floor, defeating the last of Zevie's forces.

As Steven and Zinnia returned back to the ground and they stared at the defeated, unconscious forms of Zevie and his team of Pokémon and the now uncovered Megalith shard, the results of the battle were clear.

"You did some great work, here." The Champion placed his hands in his pockets and chanced a smile at the Draconid.

Surprisingly enough, Zinnia gave a brief grin of her own. "I suppose you weren't half bad, either."

Steven's smile widened, even moreso when the rest of his team gathered around him, tired but still strong. He gave them all an approving glance, and they replied in kind.

And then, a familiar voice boomed. "Mister Stone!"

Steven glanced behind him right in time to see Sawyer, Ryuga and several other Draconids rushing towards him and Zinnia, with the Elder following at a slower pace.

The older Draconid gave a glance to Zevie's unconscious form, before she shook her head. "I thought you would've understood your time had passed by now," she muttered.

Steven didn't pay mind to the older woman, however, as Sawyer and Ryuga reached for him with worried grimaces. "Don't worry, we've dealt with Zevie here. There's nothing to worry about anymore," Steven told them with a warm and confident smile.

Sawyer shook his head and gulped. "Team Zenith had another plan in mind, defeating them would've never stopped them."

Steven felt doubt worm his way into him and his smile died, replaced by a serious frown. Around him, he could see that Zinnia and his team had grown similarly wary. That all fell into the background as an eerie green glow dominated his peripheral vision, and Steven and everyone else turned to face the Megalith shard, right as it bathed the crater in a strong emerald light.

Sawyer stepped ahead and stared at the rock, playing with his notebook nervously. "They wanted to overload the Megalith, or something like that. It's probably going critical now."

As if to prove his point, the Megalith started glowing even further, its light almost blinding. The Draconids remained silent as they observed the event, while Steven didn't waste time as he stepped forward, his team taking their place at his side.

And then, he faced all the people gathered behind him. "Let's aim at it together."

It wasn't a request, but nobody was feeling like objecting. Thus, as Metagross readied a Flash Cannon, Steven could see several Dragon Meteors, Pulses, Breaths, Hyper Beams and Flamethrowers, and everything in between be charged at once, with the rest of his team doing the same. Even Ryuga's Swablu and Sawyer's Beldum and Bagon started to charge some attacks. It was an interesting sight, but Steven had no time to marvel at the implications.

He sent a wordless glance to Zinnia, and Champion and Lorekeeper faced their target at once. Steven pointed at the still glowing Megalith, and readied his order.

"Heh heh heh. It's useless."

Steven hesitated just for a second at those words, but the attacks were fired all the same. As they homed on their target, all the different energies melded together, the different attacks coming together into one giant multicolored beam as it travelled towards its target-

And then a familiar green barrier rose; it wasn't strong enough to hold the attack back, but it did spread the blast into several directions, with the central blast too weak to even crack the protective glass that still held the Megalith shard.

Steven widened his eyes, until he looked down to see Zevie's Pelipper weakly rising its wing and grinning at them, before it fell down again. All the while, he could see Zevie rise back up, dusting off his labcoat and with a huge grin plastered over his face, one that sent chills down the Champion's spine.

"I was worried for a second that you could've disrupted my plans, but it looks like I can still make it," the leader of Team Zenith said. He pulled the left sleeve of his coat enough to reveal a bracelet with a button on it, and the scientist's grin only widened as he pressed it. "I still have one ace left to play."

Behind Zevie a bright pink light flared up, and it was only then that Steven noticed the small but distinct pencil shape of the Flower protruding from the console Zevie was using previously.

All the gathered Pokémon screamed and fell to the ground, writhing in pain and convulsing as several energy particles escaped their bodies to be absorbed into the Flower. The Pokémon tried to aim for the machine, but the absorbtion was too strong and intensive, and none of them could pose resistance. Not even Zevie's own Pokémon were spared for their pain, their already fatigued bodies losing even more energy to the Flower. It was a dreadful sight, and one none of them could stop. And through it all, Zevie appeared absolutely jubilant.

"Yes! Just like this! Gather more energy! Gather it all!" he yelled, arms raised in cheer as he observed the downed and pained Pokémon.

After sparing a glance at his suffering team, Steven's lips pursed into a tight frown. He balled his fists, and glared at his enemy.

"Metagross, use-" A clanking sound was heard, and Steven widened his eyes as his shiny partner fell sprawling on the ground. "Metagross!"

 _Tsk_ ing loudly, the leader of Team Zenith raised a finger and waggled it towards the Champion. "It's useless. Your company created the Flower, you should know what effect it has on Pokémon."

"Stop, Zevie! You're going to-"

"These Pokémon's lives are an acceptable sacrifice for a brighter tomorrow." The man's grin widened further as he spied an indicator on the console. "But don't worry, that won't be necessary. I reached the quota I needed."

Fearing no opposition, Zevie walked calmly to the console, entering a few keys with incredible nonchalance.

"No Champion, Draconid or anyone else is going to stop Team Zenith's ambitions." He pressed the Enter key, and faced back his audience with a sincere smile. "My dream was to lead this world to a new era of peace, but if that is not going to work, then I will just need to eradicate all that's wrong in this world. That's the quickest and most efficient way to solve our planet's problems, and ensure a new path for the future."

"You aren't the first person to have tried something like this, and none of them ever won." Steven just stared back, defiance strong in his gaze.

Zevie gave a lighthearted chuckle. "It's good to be the first, then."

The scientist shifted his attention back to the Flower, almost marveling at it. And then, his attention went back to Steven, arms folded behind his back.

"You know, Infinity Energy may seem daunting to manage at first, but the moment you understand its inner properties, it's surprisingly easy to model it to your needs, especially when you have a nice power source like Mt. Chimney to work on it. And the Draconid lore helped me understand how to use the Megalith efficiently." He patted the console, and smiled at the crystalline device. "And it's all programmed here, in this little Flower."

With another chuckle, Zevie pressed the button again, and the energy absorbtion ceased immediately: all the Pokémon fell to the floor, many of them energyless, some of them defiant, but all of them thankfully still alive.

The joy of that was rather shortlived however, as Zevie grabbed the Flower and jabbed it further inside the machine. The whole console lit up, just as the Megalith shone of an emerald hue brighter than ever before.

The scientist beamed as he raised both hands up. "Rise, Megalith! Reveal your true form!"

As the Megalith shone again and energy burst forth from it, the blinding green light was enough to force everyone to shield their eyes. Even with that, however, Steven and the others tried to see what was going on, especially as he heard the glass tube shattering and saw the Megalith shard rising further in the air.

Shapes were hard to make out in the light, but the Infinity Energy radiating from the rock was palpable and felt even at several feet of distance. He could see the rock shatter and divide under the energy's pressure, only for its components to grow more steamlined and elongated, several rocks morphing in a sort of face crudely shaped like the Delta letter. Even for a rock enthusiast, that was unlike anything he had ever seen, and yet way too familiar for something he _had_ seen in legends, fairy tales, and the Draconids' own lore.

Zinnia, the Elder and all the other Draconids seemed to understand it too, as their gazes morphed from confused to horrified. Sawyer just stepped behind the Champion, as if looking for protection. All around them, even their downed and weakened Pokémon observed on in fear.

And as Steven went back to the Megalith's changing shape and what it was became increasingly clear, the Champion felt genuine dread for the first time in forever.

And then, as the light subsided, a floating rocky abomination in the crude shape of the Dragon Lord's Mega Evolution towered over the crater of Mt. Chimney.

No one dared saying a word as the mockery of a Mega Rayquaza continued to float above them, its ruby-like pupils scanning the area under it until it aimed for the gathered Draconids and the two Sootopolitans.

Zevie's grin widened as he contemplated his creation, before his gaze shifted back to his adversaries. "Destroy all on your path."

The rosy stone eyes glistened right after, and several tendrils shot from the Megalith and right towards its enemies.

Metagross and several Altaria drew out their Protect shields as quickly as they could, only for the tendril to shatter past them and right into the ground. Everyone was scattered around by the impact, and they were all sent scampering away as the Megalith pulsed green again, and multiple other tendrils extended from it and the ground below.

Steven wasn't able to register clearly what was going on as he recalled all of his Pokémon save for the still battle-ready Metagross, just as his loyal partner kept the Protects up and fire Flash Cannons in return. All around him were a mass of tendrils sprouting erratically from all over, be it from the ground or the sky, as several other Draconids ran away from the incoming mess. A few of them even tried to fight back, only for the tendrils to pierce through their defense and strike their Pokémon down, constricting and tying them and their trainers, blocking their path or swatting them dangerously close to the lava. It was absolute hell, and with every pulse of the Megalith, the being only grew more unpredictable. Cries and screams raised from all over, any and all attempts at offensive curbed in an instant.

Steven Stone had travelled far and wide through the whole Hoenn region and beyond, and by now he was sure little could surprise him, having fought every Pokémon he could on the way. But that thing was different: it wasn't a Pokémon, it was a _monster_ , and he saw no weaknesses they could exploit. And through it all, the leader of Team Zenith was having the last laugh.

"How do you like this, Champion of the Hoenn region? Are you still going to sprout idealistic nonsense now?" Zevie asked, his cocksure smirk only underscoring his regained advantage.

Steven didn't have a rebuttal as several tendrils shot towards him, only held back by a timely Bullet Punch as the Hoenn Champion dove under any incoming strikes.

"Just surrender yourself! I won, Steven! I _won_!" Zevie continued to cackle madly, drunk on power as the Megalith pulsed again, greener and brighter than ever.

Steven wished to have a snappy retort, something to prove him wrong, but he truly had nothing. None of Metagross' strikes could do more than blast the tendrils away, Protect only worked half the time, and Flash Cannon didn't even scrape the false Mega Rayquaza's rocky hide, as it started to soar over the crater in a circle, more and more tendrils joining the chaos. And through it all, Steven could tell his best friend was only up out of sheer determination.

"Psychic!" Steven ordered, and the blue outline stopped a tendril before it could go through his skull and tied it up with another. It was only temporary unfortunately, as the tendrils untangled themselves and travelled back towards him and any other target he could.

"It's all useless, there's nothing you can do against the power of the Megalith. You are the test run for the glory of Team Zenith, and you can't stop us anymore!"

Steven wished he could go back and pin Zevie to the ground again, but as several tendrils blocked his path, he wisely decided against trying. However, that and Zevie's repeated boasts only made the reality of the situation more apparent.

Team Zenith had actually won, and there was nothing at hand to overturn it.

Reality only sunk in for the Champion as he found a rock far away from the conflict, allowing himself to take a few breaths and focus again. As he spied back to the battlefield, some of his hopes were further dashed as the ocean of tendrils continued to beat up on the Draconids, who could only run for their lives. What once had been a small army capable of holding back several Team Zenith grunts was now reduced to fleeing and fearful people unable to do anything. And as much as he hated to admit it, he was on the same boat as them.

He chanced a look at the abomination flying overheard. Was it still a Megalith, or was it a Pokémon now? Was it truly sentient? Could it use actual moves? What were its types, in that case? He had too many questions, and only one answer: it was dangerous, a true force of nature, and they were wholly unprepared against it.

"Are you alright?"

Steven and Metagross snapped back to attention as they turned to the side, finding the familiar face of the Elder observing him sternly. She looked slightly worn out, but far better than he would've expected.

As the Champion rubbed his forehead, he exhaled. "I think."

The Elder cracked a brief smile, even if the situation didn't allow her to keep it for long. Steven then peered slightly to the side, and saw Zinnia looking up as she directed her Mega Salamence against the incoming tendrils.

"Dragon Claw! Keep those tendrils at bay!"

Her Mega evolved Pokémon obliged, hacking and slashing at the limbs snaking towards it with trained claws, with the occasional Bite and Fire Fang when the tendrils got too close. The Dragon-type's valiant effort was giving them a measure of reprieve, but if it was anything like Metagross, it too was probably on the verge of falling.

Zinnia pressed her back on the rock and passed a hand through her black hair as her partner Pokémon continued the battle alone. For the first time since that adventure began, Steven could tell that the Lorekeeper was far from her aggressive and confident self.

"We're done for," she said as she turned back to Steven and the Elder. "This is an enemy that not even the Pokémon of Hoenn legends were able to defeat, using the same kind of power the Dragon Lord holds."

Steven recalled Zevie's words on malleable Infinity Energy, and figured that he had spent his time trying to get exactly the kind of energy Mega Rayquaza radiated. It would've certainly explained why he needed the Draconid lore and the Flower.

The Champion then narrowed his eyes at the Draconid women, chancing another glance at the horror above. "You said that the Megalith is always in search of other energy sources. Then why is it still here?"

"Probably something Zevie did," the Elder said as she gazed skyward. "We had a conversation about this, years ago. Zevie was interested to see if the Megalith could be attracted to itself by careful distribution of what you call Infinity Energy. I assume he did something like that, and that's why he needed all these machines. He could probably redirect the Megalith wherever he wanted if he had more energy sources to draw it towards, too."

Steven observed the still functional machine and broken glass case several feet away from them, and gulped. It definitely sounded like something Zevie would try to do, and succeed at doing. As another green pulse bathed the area in a green glow, the Champion frowned and swallowed. "What can we do about this?"

Zinnia's response was a bitter laugh and a shake of her head. "Nothing. Absolutely nothing."

"You can't be serious-"

"What else do you want me to say? Not everyone is a stupid idealist like you!" Zinnia snarled, fists clenched and teeth bared. "This is a threat that the _Dragon Lord Itself_ could only seal away and not defeat! Our only chance is to pray for Its coming and wait now!"

That wasn't the same Zinnia that sprouted hateful rethoric and constantly insulted him and everyone of Sootopolitan descent; it was a Zinnia that had seen the boogeyman of her legends and knew there was no point in fighting it.

As Steven gazed back at the Megalith Mega Rayquaza, he couldn't help but feel incredibly small and powerless. It was an object of unfathomable power under the control of his worst enemy, whose only opposition had been eons old legendary Pokémon. And going by the legends he did know about them, nothing said they would come to their help for sure. They could really only hope and wait for the best now, while Zevie held one of the most powerful weapons of the world at their heads.

But for how many things Steven Stone was, 'patient' _definitely_ wasn't one of them. He was the Champion of Hoenn, tasked with its protection, and he wouldn't allow anyone to ever unleash such terror on his region and the world.

And thus he rose again, dusting off his suit and staring skyward with renewed resolution. At his side, his Mega Metagross floated back again, incredibly tired and worn out, but no less ready to fight once more.

"I'm sorry, but I didn't fight so much just to lose at the last second. And I'm definitely not going to wait for a miracle to come and save us." He allowed himself a confident grin. "I'll find a way to destroy it."

Zinnia widened her eyes as her mouth gaped, while the Elder appeared far more intrigued at his boast.

"Are you insane?" Zinnia barely held back a snarl as she jabbed at the flying monstrosity. "Only the Dragon Lord can destroy that! Our lore says so!"

"Only one way to find if that's true." Steven didn't budge as he glanced up again.

Zinnia had no retort to that, until she scoffed and turned the other way. "You're a lost cause, Sootopolitan."

Steven only chuckled lightly, only to focus back on the Megalith, trying to understand more about it, to discover an opening, to find something they could do as the beast continued to spread its tendrils all over with impunity. Whatever weak points it had, they were definitely well-hidden, even with the haphazard movements and the costant green pulsing.

And then, a yell caught his attention.

"This is it! You have desecrated the Dragon Lord's form for far too much!"

Steven snapped back to attention and turned at his left, then stared on in confusion as he saw that Draconid boy, Ryuga, rushing headfirst against some tendrils with his Swablu in tow. Or at least he tried, until a hand grabbed him by the shirt, startling him and his Pokémon.

"Don't be reckless! We need to go further!" Sawyer said, giving Ryuga a serious look before he tried to run ahead, towards the Megalith, with Beldum and Bagon in tow.

And then, several tendrils blasted forth from the ground, surrounding the two boys and lunging towards them. Steven froze for just a second, and then he hopped on Metagross with nary a thought or command, and blasted towards the tendrils.

He heard several others rise around him, only for several shards of Draco Meteor to rain over them. Steven mentally thanked Zinnia as he focused back on the boys and the tendrils around them as they closed in, their three Pokémon ready to defend their trainers.

"Meteor Mash!" Steven ordered, and his partner's shining limbs destroyed one tendril each, just as many more rose around them.

Steven rose a hand skyward in response. "Protect!"

The green shield appeared just in time for the tendrils to crash all over it, trying to crack and break through it. Steven only frowned as he turned towards Sawyer and Ryuga.

"Come on, quick!"

Neither Sawyer nor Ryuga needed to heed the order twice as they hopped over Metagross, just as the Protect shattered around them. Steven's ace tried to steer out of the way, only for several tendrils to sink straight into Metagross' side.

The Psychic/Steel-type tumbled back on the ground, all while Steven grabbed the two boys and rolled over the ground alongside them, all while tendrils continued to sprout and rain all over. Steven held his breath until a big rock halted his rolling, and he pressed his back over it. His first concern were on the kids he protected, and he sighed in relief when he saw them slightly winded but far from injured. He then glanced ahead and saw Metagross outrun quite a few tendrils and blast them off with a well-aimed Flash Cannon, then spinning around and taking charge against any coming Megalith vine, while Zinnia and a few other Draconids continued to desperately hold the line.

His gaze went back to the boys in his hands, relieved but stern. "What were you thinking?"

"We were trying to reach the Megalith! We can destroy it!" Ryuga shouted, freeing himself from Steven's hands and frowning.

Steven crooked an eyebrow. "You can?"

Ryuga smirked and patted Sawyer in the back as Steven let him go. "Yes! The genius here had a plan to do that!"

Steven's curiosity grew as he turned back to Sawyer, just as the student smiled sheepishly and faced the sky, only for his smile to morph into a heavy frown as he glanced over at Zevie's console, with the scientist standing by it triumphantly.

"I thought we could, but I'm not sure now." Sawyer gulped as he went back to Steven, scratching his neck. "I thought we could try to reach for it and shut it down, it has to have some power source. But there are too many tendrils, Team Zenith's leader is there and I... I don't know what to do."

Sawyer's gaze wandered back down, but even with how downcast he looked, Steven couldn't help but feel some pride for him and Ryuga. Even if they were just kids, even if they were outmatched and they had little to do with the conflict at hand, they still tried to help. Even with all the worry and chastizing that could lead to, Steven was glad to see such resolve from them. He was almost envious of it, in a way.

Then Sawyer's words actually sunk in, as did Zevie's, and some odd things he had seen throughout the Megalith's rampage of vines. A plan started forming, and the Champion of Hoenn smiled as the pieces fell in place, glancing at the boys once more and shifting between the two.

"Say, you caused a rockslide and helped defeat Carly and Taylor, right?"

"Yeah! Nothing can stop our tag team!" Ryuga punched the sky as he grabbed Sawyer from the shoulder, giving a huge grin to the Champion.

In spite of some embarassment, Sawyer nodded along as he rubbed his neck. Steven's smile grew warmer.

"I know what we need to do, then. Can I count on the help of you two for that?"

Sawyer beamed and nodded right away. "Sure!"

Steven almost chuckled at that. It was good to know he could count on the next generation. Without further wait, the Champion cleared his throat and explained his plan, as the Megalith rampaged all around them.

* * *

The chaos was still ongoing by the time Steven took flight over Metagross again towards the Megalith: Zinnia had jumped over her Mega Salamence to lead it in battle directly, but aside from her only few Draconids seemed to still have the will and power to fight back, with many more at the whims of the tendrils or forced on the defensive, and the numbers of active battlers became increasingly smaller as the tendrils increased.

Steven tried to not think of their dwindling numbers as he checked out Metagross. Even after using his last Full Restore his partner was having trouble holding up, especially as more and more tendrils sprouted around, above and beneath it and Steven. But the Champion and his partner were more than trained to dodge and redirect the tendrils, and so they could make their way easily back towards the Megalith Mega Rayquaza. The closer Steven got, the more the abomination felt even bigger and dangerous, but he couldn't afford to hesitate at that moment.

"Psychic!" he yelled, and Metagross tied several tendrils together with pure mental energy out of the way as he flew further ahead, getting closer to the source of everything.

From the safety of his part of the battlefield, Zevie laughed as he observed how Steven continued to fly further towards his creation.

"It's all worthless! There's nothing that can destroy the Megalith. My plan has no holes you can make use of. The only reason you're still alive is that I need to test how efficient my creation is!"

Steven ignored Zevie's victorious boasts to focus on the problem at hand instead. The Megalith was continuing to pulse and move erratically in a zig-zag pattern, never quite leaving the top of Mt. Chimney while it continued to sprout vines in an unpredictable pattern. Taking in all it could do and with a much healthier Metagross than before, Steven could actually muster a smile against Team Zenith's leader, even as the majority of the vines rerouted themselves towards them.

"If vines is all this thing can do, it won't be hard to deal with it." Steven grinned as he snapped his fingers.

Metagross' eyes shone of an azure hue brighter than ever, and all the vines came to a stop. Visibly strained, Metagross nonetheless tied them together into strong knots and pushed them back towards the Megalith, with enough strength to send the abomination back a few inches. It wasn't enough to stop it, however, as more vines sprouted and ran towards him from every directions.

"Again!" With a handy Protect and some creative psychic pulls, Metagross managed to slid out of the vines' grasp before they caught him, then tossed them back to the Megalith. The false legendary didn't budge, and more vines came out. Metagross' eyes shone again

"What, are you just going to stay there and play catch with the vines? You disappoint me, Steven." Zevie shook his head, his cocky grin growing even wider.

As they rolled to the side and Metagross Meteor Mashed a few vines away, Steven frowned at him. "Not as much as you did. You planned this for years, and you only got a glorified Vine Whip machine out of it?"

"That's just the Megalith's base form of attack." Zevie fumbled with his coat again, revealing his buttoned bracelet. "But given you asked me... maybe I need to show you what the Megalith is _truly_ capable to do."

Zevie pressed another button on it, and the Megalith's offensive stopped in an instant. Then, the 'mouth' of the Rayquaza replica parted away, unleashing a strong flurry of wind that buffeted the air around Steven. Metagross was flung away as the Champion hold tight to his ace, until the Mega Evolved Pokémon sunk his many limbs onto a rock, scratching it but managing him and his trainer to handle the incoming storm, even as it grew more intense and forced them to stay there.

"Rayquaza is the Lord of the Skies, and I made sure to manipulate the Infinity Energy to be as close to Its energy signature as possible. The tales in the Draconid lore helped a lot here." Zevie adjusted his goggles as he observed the defenseless and struggling Steven and Metagross. "As such, this beauty can manipulate the air currents as strongly as the real deal. And I made sure to put the finishing touch on it, too."

And thus, Zevie snapped his fingers as well. "Megalith, Dragon Ascent."

Steven froze for just a second as the artificial Mega Rayquaza was coated into green energy and pulled itself back, power twitching through the rocks as it pulsed in emerald light once more, then sprung forward in a mad dash of power. Metagross' eyes shimmered blue as the Psychic's outline attempted to hold the Megalith back, only for the abomination to break through the Psychic energy with even more force.

"Flash Cannon!" Steven ordered, and Metagross pulled out as much power as it could in its steely beam as it travelled to the Megalith and slowed down its rush. Metagross put even more force as the distance increasingly became shorter.

But in spite of Metagross' valiant efforts, the Megalith proved stronger, and the Champion and his partner were blasted away with the full power of Dragon Ascent. As he held onto Metagross' body and they tumbled into the air, Steven cringed at Metagross' pained yell, a kind of pain he had not heard from it for years.

They tried to right themselves, only for the Megalith to blast an air current against them and toss the two further away. Several vines shoot from the Megalith and ensnarled each and all of Metagross' limbs, and then they pushed down with all their might.

Metagross' body crashed on the rocky ground. And again. And again. And then Steven lost his hold to his partner and tumbled away through the rocks, just as the Megalith continued to toss it around like a ragdoll. Steven widened his eyes as his Pokémon tried to struggle out of its bounds, only barely managing to slip free and face the vines on its own, to only meager success. And through it all, Zevie gave a good-natured laugh as Steven and him locked gazes again.

"Dragon Ascent, the ultimate Flying-type move, the one known only by Rayquaza itself. And I _replicated_ it." Pride swelled in Zevie's chest, as the scientist placed a hand over his heart. "I've managed to master the energy of life itself, and use it to craft my own legendary. You can try to struggle all you want, but there's nothing you can do to stop Team Zenith now, my dear Champion of the Hoenn region."

Steven didn't seem to have an answer at that. However, he dusted off his ruined and torn suit, and pulled off the most confident smile he had worn that day.

"No, there is something I can do." He folded his arms, appearing stern and powerful. "I can hold the ground, for the future of the Hoenn region."

Zevie frowned just a bit, more amused than worried. "You _still_ believe you can make it? That you can win against the power of a legendary?"

"I have no illusions to be able to win." Steven caught side of Metagross disintegrating several vines with a Flash Cannon and spun out of an air current. "But I'm not going to let everyone else lose, either."

Zevie scoffed in response. "You can't do this alone."

"That's true. But I'm not alone." Steven closed his eyes. "Right, Zinnia?"

A powerful Draco Meteor exploded in a shower of shards over the Megalith, far from enough to blast it back but more than enough to grab its attention. The attention of every struggling Draconid went back to the Draconid woman flying over her Mega Salamence, wearing a confident and almost feral grin. She then observed every other members of her kind as they tried to hold the Megalith at bay, before she raised her own arm up.

"Draconids! The time is now. The Sootopolitan has fought our battle for us, but it is time that we do our part in this. We face down a mockery of our Dragon Lord, insulting everything we believe in, created by our own Lore. I understand if you're scared, but we Draconids are warriors, and true warriors don't give up until the battle is won or they perish! So say I, Zinnia, your Lorekeeper!" Her gaze turned to steel, as her Salamence readied a Dragon Claw. "Will you stand with me, or run away like cowards?"

None of the Draconids hesitated as everyone, whether downed or already fighting, let out a piercing war cry and joined the battle against the Megalith with renewed determination, several Dragon-types and Metagross all fighting as one as they braved the air and vines to hold the Megalith back. Even in the face of the enormous power wielded by the artificial legendary, none of the warriors or their Pokémon backed down, holding the tendrils in place and blasting through the air, in a chaotic and powerful exchange of moves from either side. And as the battle went on, both Steven and Zevie observed from the ground as the Draconids continued to fight like men and women possessed, before their gazes met once more.

"I gotta say, I'm impressed. Throughout this battle, I really got to see how much drive to stop me you and your little army had to stop me. I can respect such determination." Zevie adjusted his goggles, sincerity trickling through his tone. And then, he grinned again. "I almost feel bad for how pointless your resistance is."

Steven stepped forward, and his gaze turned cold. "As long as we're still up and ready to fight, you can't count this as a win, Zevie."

"Why wouldn't I? You haven't even put a dent on the Megalith yet. It's still full of Infinity Energy, and it can use a hundred more Dragon Ascents if I wanted it to." He tapped on his bracelet playfully, before he admired his handiwork. He then turned back to Steven, seriousness in his eyes. "With such a weapon in my hands, everyone will be forced to listen to reason and I will be able to destroy any opposition. I will enforce true peace in everyone's future. Why are you still trying to stop us? You know very well that we only wanted to do good."

"Good on your own terms." Clenching his fists, Steven steeled his glance sharper than ever. "This world isn't perfect by any means, and committing mistakes is human nature. But even then, we always manage to rise up from adversities, make the world a better place, and pass the baton for the next generation to improve things where we didn't make it. It will be a slow path, and there will surely be many errors and obstacles on the way, but I know that together, we can all overcome this and reach a brighter tomorrow on our merits, without coercions or forcing people to follow one vision. We will walk the path towards it together, and we won't let people like you dictate what that path should be."

"And how do you intend to stop me?" Zevie asked, as defiant as ever as the Megalith resisted every hit.

As the Draconids struck again, Steven gave a quick smile. "With the next generation."

Zevie quirked an eyebrow, and then someone shoved him down and he fell face-first on the ground. The scientist tried to get back up, only to get a foot over his face for his troubles. Above him, a quite cheerful Draconid boy was snickering at him with the dumbest grin he could afford, while the rest of his kind continued their assault.

"Finally! I couldn't wait for you to shut your mouth!" Ryuga said, pressing his foot over Zevie's cheek for good measure as he stood over him.

Steven barely suppressed a laugh, as Zevie stared back at him with anger. Trying to keep his attention away with the attack on the Megalith and their discussion turned out to be a tad bit harder than expected, but the result was what mattered.

The scientist tried to toss Ryuga off of himself, and the boy frowned. "Swablu, Gust!"

Ryuga's partner flew up from behind him, flapping its wings and unleashing a wing strong enough to knock Zevie back down. Ryuga took his chance to pin him further down, with Swablu ready to strike another Gust if needed. Zevie continued to toss the Draconid away all the same, until he spotted Sawyer rushing out of hiding and start pressing keys and checking information on the console. The scientist paled and froze on the spot.

"What are you doing?" Zevie asked, his tone shakier than it had been until then.

Sawyer only pulled off a smile as he turned back to him, Bagon and Beldum reaching closer to the boy.

"The energy output of the Flower isn't strong enough, even with it pushed to the limit and redistributed around, right? I assume it's something like that." He checked the data on the console again, and then the Megalith under the barrage of Draconid blasts. "If that's true and it just can't sustain the Megalith in a uniform way, then that's why it moves so haphazardly around. The Flower is the only thing holding it together and stable, sending the energy to it through this machine, right?"

Zevie's face lost all color, while Sawyer pressed a few keys and revealed the Flower once again.

And then, the boy stepped back and pointed at the console with a determined frown. "Bagon, Beldum, go!"

It all happened in a second; a Dragon Pulse and a Zen Headbutt, and the Flower shattered in a million little pieces, just as the console broke down under the Pokémon's attacks and Zevie's widened eyes. Several little sparks flew around, and the Megalith immediately grinded to a halt.

And then it sprung back into activity, random parts of the fake legendary's bodies lighting up and darkening in an almost epileptic show of emerald lights. Its body started twitching erratically all around, vines sprouting and disappearing at random points, as if the abomination didn't know what to do anymore.

It was a bizarre and unsettling sight, but everyone knew what to do. Zinnia and Steven shared a glance, and so did Steven and Metagross before the Champion of Hoenn cleared his throat.

"Everyone," Steven said, pointing onward to the Megalith Mega Rayquaza. "Attack!"

And thus everyone, no matter their position, fired their strongest beam attacks from any directions, all converging towards the Megalith. The artificial legendary couldn't muster a defense, and the blasts all over its body were enough to toss it back above the center of the crater. Its rocky exterior started to crack, and the green glow pulsed through them, stronger and brighter every second.

Steven, Sawyer and the Draconids couldn't help but smile and cheer as the Megalith slowly crumbled on itself. But through it all, one voice trumped all the others.

"No!" Zevie yelled, eyes wide and mouth agape as the Megalith appeared ready to self-destruct. His face contorted into a desperate frown. "No! No! No! No! No! It can't end like this!"

He tossed Ryuga off himself in one burst before he ran towards the console and knocked Sawyer away like a man possessed, desperately pressing on the half-destroyed keyboard.

"All of Team Zenith's work can't be for nothing! The world deserves a better future!" Zevie yelled, punching desperately over the cracked screens.

As he continued trying to save his creation and plans, all the Draconids and Sawyer rushed away from the crater, jumping over any Draconid's Dragon-type and getting ready to leave. Steven did the same thing by hopping over Metagross, but before he flew out of the way he instead turned around and got closer to Zevie, a hand extended towards the scientist.

"Zevie, come with us! Everything's going to-"

A sudden Hyper Voice knocked Steven and Metagross back, and the Champion found himself stared at by a furious Zevie, with Altaria and all the other Pokémon joining in a look of pure hatred.

"You won't stop me, Steven!" Zevie snarled, shaking a fist at him. "I'll win! You heard me? _I'll win!_ "

Standing there, with the Megalith pulsing brighter than ever and Zevie back to desperately try to make his machine work with his tired and battered team at his side, Steven didn't know what to say to the man. Even after years of fighting each other, he never saw him like that.

The Champion felt someone yanking his arm, and turned to see Zinnia over her Mega Salamence giving him an angry scowl. "Let's go, Sootopolitan, he clearly doesn't want to be saved."

Steven wanted to protest, but then the first explosion came. That was all he and the rest needed before they all turned tail and rushed as far away from the crater as possible.

Through the group's mad dash to safety, Steven couldn't help but turn around. The cracks grew and grew until the whole Megalith was engulfed in a spiderweb pattern, and with one final burst of light, the abomination that Team Zenith worked so hard to bring to life exploded all over the top of Mt. Chimney, engulfing Hoenn's tallest mountain in a hazy cloud of smoke.

And with that, the war with Team Zenith was finally over.

* * *

As everyone touched down quite a few feet away from Mt. Chimney's crater, nobody really knew what to say. As he hopped off his now normal Metagross, Steven stared wordlessly at the giant cloud of smoke flying over what was their battlefield not even a few minutes before, so big that anyone could probably think Mt. Chimney was ready to erupt. He tried to peer through the smoke, seeing any trace of Zevie and his team, but from that distance it was impossible to tell.

Sawyer gulped as he joined the Champion, his eyes going to the older trainer. "Is he...?"

"I wish I could give you a straight answer," Steven said with an exhale. "I've seen Zevie survive far worse than that. The only thing I know for sure is that at least for a while, we won't hear about Team Zenith again."

Sawyer remained silent in response. Behind them, all the other Draconids joined the two, with the Elder, Zinnia and Ryuga ahead of them.

The Draconid leader shook her head, pressing her cane down. "That's a victory, at least. I hope wherever he is now, he can finally find peace."

"I hope he suffers." Zinnia frowned, fists balled in rage. "We lost our sacred lore thanks to him, and we'll never get it-"

"You mean this one?" Sawyer asked, removing a scroll from his waistcoat's pocket. "I grabbed it from the machine, I thought it was it."

Zinnia widened her eyes, while Ryuga beamed and rushed at Sawyer's side, yanking the scroll and checking it thoroughly.

And then, his smile grew even bigger and he hugged Sawyer tightly. "That's it! Thanks a lot, Sootopolitan!"

Sawyer blushed visibly as Ryuga continued to hug him even tighter, all while Beldum, Bagon and Swablu giggled at their trainers. Much to Sawyer's relief the hug proved to be short-lived, as Ryuga realized something.

"Oh, right, I don't think I caught your name yet." He pointed a thumb on his chest and pulled off a confident grin. "I'm Ryuga, the bravest Draconid warrior! But I'm sure you already knew that, right?"

Sawyer chuckled back at him, bowing at the other boy. "I'm Sawyer, and it's been great to fight with you."

"Same for me! You're amazing!"

Sawyer could only blush again as Ryuga continued to shower him with compliments, giving some of his own back to the Draconid as they chatted up happily, their Pokémon sticking close to the two. As the Sootopolitan and Draconid boys continued to talk with no hate or tension between them, both Steven and Zinnia observed them. The Champion then faced the Lorekeeper once more with a knowing glance.

"That's what I meant earlier, when I talked of kids." His eyes wandered back to Sawyer and Ryuga. "I think we'd all be better off trusting the next generation to do better than us."

Zinnia didn't immediately reply, until she scoffed and cracked a rare happy grin to herself.

"Maybe." The grin faded as soon as it came when Zinnia took on a more serious expression, staring through Steven. "As much as I don't like it, you helped us recover our lore, Sootopolitan. If there's anything we can do to pay you back, please say so."

Steven placed his hnds in his pockets as he smiled once again. "There's a promise I should keep, actually..."

* * *

Carly took a deep breath as she turned around, seeing the veritable swarm of grunts rushing down Mt. Chimney: they were lucky enough that the whole horde of Draconids rushed away to help Stevie against Zevie and forgot to make sure they were secured, and they couldn't waste their chance by being slower than a Slowpoke's brain. She tried not to linger too much on the giant smoking crater overheard, or why there was so much smoke after Team Zenith had seemingly won.

The muscular Admin shook her head and waved her hand to the grunts. "Quick! We need to get away before they come for us!"

The grunts needed to hear that twice as they ran away faster than before down the narrow path. After the last of the Team Zenith grunts went down their escape route, Carly sighed in relief. And then she noticed someone who hadn't left yet: her colleague Taylor, frozen in place as she stared over the mountaintop without a word.

Carly frowned and stomped towards her, yanking her arm. "Taylor, what the heck are you waiting for? We must run!"

"What's the point? Master Zevie failed, he's..." She turned to Carly, her gaze lost and her expression faltering. "What can we do now?"

Seeing Taylor like that brought Carly to a stop. Even in her worst moments, she always seemed somewhat in control of her emotions, always the smartest woman in the room, and always ready to support Zevie in any endeavor he took part in with all the confidence of the world. And yet, now...

Carly sighed and took a deep breath, then grabbed Taylor's shoulders and stared straight into her eyes.

"Look, I'm not good at this emotional cheer you up stuff and know you liked Master Zevie a ton, but we'll manage somehow." Her gaze shifted back to the smoking crater of Mt. Chimney. "Even without Zevie around, we remain part of Team Zenith. Nothing will stand in the way of our dream of a better future."

She turned back to Taylor, tapping her head gently. "But to do that, we need this little brain of yours. Think you can hold together for a bit?"

Taylor didn't respond at first, until she took a deep breath and adjusted her glasses. She focused back on Carly, forlorn and tense but more resolute than before.

"I can try," she said, fists clenched and gaze cold.

"That's my Taylor." Carly grabbed Taylor's hand tightly as she gave her a smile. "Now let's go. Nothing will stand in our way."

Taylor nodded, and the two Admins of Team Zenith ran back towards their grunts, forever ready to continue the work Zevie started.

* * *

In the depths of Meteor Village, Zinnia grumbled as she checked out the now-empty prison, their captives having left with the Sootopolitans to be judged by their rules. She really wished they could've executed them beforehand, but she was a Lorekeeper of her word and after their help in recovering the lore, she could live with that decision. Not too far from her stood the Elder and her daughter, both smiling and playing along as they approached her.

"This was quite an adventure, don't you think?" her grandmother asked.

"One I wish we didn't take part in." Zinnia rolled her eyes, before she grabbed at her shorts' pocket and produced their lore. "At least our legacy is safe now. Let's hope nothing else happens."

The Elder let out a light chuckle, while Zinnia turned around and strided away. After the debacle with Team Zenith, there was still way too much stuff to put in order, more guards to put in charge of protecting the lore, and-

"Uhm, Elder, Lorekeeper?"

Zinnia paused as she turned to their side, watching as Ryuga and his Swablu paced closer to her and her grandmother. He seemed quite less boisterous than usual, almost sheepish as he scratched his arm.

The Lorekeeper arched an eyebrow in response. "Yes, Ryuga?"

"Well, there was something I wanted to ask." The boy placed a hand on his chest, a serious gaze towards the older women. "Once I come of age, I'd like to depart on a journey to see the world beyond Meteor Village."

Zinnia widened her eyes at the boy, while the Elder seemed more amused than anything. Aster simply turned to each other with a quizzical glance.

"What?" the Lorekeeper asked, eyes narrowed on the kid.

Ryuga managed a smile and a shrug. "Well, that oddly dressed guy and Sawyer helped us, right? I thought Sootopolitans were all bad and wanted us dead, but they weren't. I want to see what else is out there."

Zinnia's stare narrowed as the kid proved for the umpteenth time why he had the reputation of the most boneheaded Draconid out there.

"Sootopolitans stole our sacred lands from us, if you travel outside Draconid territory, you won't be welcome."

"No problem, I have Swablu with me!" The boy grinned at his partner and high-fived his wing, before he faced the Lorekeeper again and pumped his fists. "Don't underestimate the bravest Draconid warrior!"

Zinnia was ready to snarl back at him, only for her grandmother to chuckle again and step closer to the boy, patting his head cheerfully.

"If that's what you wish to do, then there's no problem. Just make sure you are ready for the journey ahead," she told him with a wink. Ryuga positively beamed afterwards.

"Yes! Thanks, Elder!" He punched the sky and quickly turned tail, giving his Pokémon a determined grin. "Let's go Swablu! We need to become as strong as Sawyer now!"

Swablu chirped up happily, and thus he and his trainer rushed away all excited and happy. Zinnia herself just stood there with no words, until her stare homed back on the Elder.

"Do you even understand what you told him?" Zinnia asked, while her grandmother simply held Aster up and hugged her.

"I'm just allowing him to see the world for himself, and even if I didn't give him my blessing he would've run away on his own. He's way too stubborn to get killed, and Drakon turned out fine when he left the tribe and returned years later." The Elder smiled again as she stared after Ryuga, now trying to tackle Swablu to the ground while avoiding his Gusts. "Maybe that dreamboat is right. We should trust the next generation to do better than we did."

Zinnia's stare only grew colder. "Sootopolitans are still our enemies. We can't allow our tribe to suffer."

At that, the Elder put Aster down and grabbed her cane back, a sigh escaping her lips. She then faced the Lorekeeper again, with far more confidence and wisdom than she usually showed.

"I'm not the biggest fan of Sootopolitans either, I've lived through the atrocities they committed against us." Her hands gripped tightly on her cane, while Aster tried to tug at her for attention. "But I've also seen members of other Draconid villages and even our own act even worse than any Sootopolitan has ever done. If there's any chance to end hostilities between our people, I will gladly take it."

"You're way too forgiving."

"And you're way too harsh, so I guess we both have our faults." The Elder's stare finally matched her granddaughter's. "I'm surprised your opinion on Sootopolitans didn't budge at all, however."

"That Champion and the kid weren't that bad as far as they go, but Sootopolitans are still dangerous. You saw what the members of Team Zenith did." Zinnia folded her arms and stared the other way. "We can't lower our guard just because a few Sootopolitans aren't that bad."

The Elder just shook her head in response. "Wise words, but at some point you will have to let your hatred go. You can't carry on the grief for Aster's death forever."

Hearing her name was enough to freeze Zinnia on the spot. She balled her fists and stared through the Elder, all while her Aster, the second Aster, continued to look at her relatives in confusion.

She didn't snap back at her however, gulping down any retort. Instead, she gave the Elder her back again, closing her eyes and grimacing where they couldn't see her.

"Sorry, I need to leave. Look after Aster for me, alright?" she asked knowing the answer already. She didn't even need to turn to understand that her grandmother would comply. She knew exactly what Zinnia had to do, after all.

The Lorekeeper walked away for quite a while, until she out of Meteor Village's perimeter and back inside the vast, unmarked caves of Meteor Falls, where no one would've been able to see her. This was something she needed to keep to herself, after all.

Zinnia frowned as she grabbed the Poké Ball, observing the Sootopolitan tech: it was useful, sure, but it always left a sour taste inside her to hold a Pokémon inside. She gripped it tightly, and then tossed it. The Ball hit the ground, and in a spark of light a small Whismur appeared, glancing around in confusion. Zinnia felt a knot on her chest, and gulped.

Then the Whismur noticed her, and rushed to hug at her leg. A soft, foreign smile lit up Zinnia's face as she rubbed the Pokémon's ears, before grabbing a small bag from her coat.

"Here, it's time to eat," she said while offering a few berries; the Whismur chirped happily and grabbed them all, munching over them quickly. As she watched the Whismur eat, Zinnia's mind couldn't help but wander back to a similar scenes an eternity ago, before everything took a turn for the worst.

 _"Isn't she cute? I'm gonna call her Aster Junior!"_

 _"She's not your daughter, you know."_

 _"Who cares. She's an inhabitant of Meteor Village, she's as much of a Draconid as everyone else here."_

 _"What a good Lorekeeper. What next, you want peace between us and Sootopolitans?"_

 _"Conflicts are something no one but idiots want. We all live on the same world, why shouldn't we all try to get along?"_

 _"Your naivety is almost infuriating."_

 _"I see a bright future ahead of us, and really hope we'll be able to see it together."_

She rubbed off the tears at the corner of her eyes while she watched over the Whismur, the last memento she had of the old Aster. That was one of the last conversations she had with her, and one she still couldn't forget even after all these years. She clenched her fists, just as the Whismur turned back to her, perking her head.

"No one else will end up like you did, Aster," she said to herself, steeling her gaze. "I will make sure to always protect our tribe as their Lorekeeper, no matter who the enemy is."

* * *

Steven took a deep, relieved breath as he and Sawyer finally left Rustboro's police station: the Team Zenith grunts were ready to be interrogated and jailed, and hopefully they would be able to clue law enforcement on where the rest of the team ended up. That task done, he and Sawyer decided to take the trip back to the Devon Corporation's headquarters on foot, allowing Steven's Metagross a well deserved rest. As they enjoyed the familiar yet refreshing sights of Rustboro, Steven couldn't help but look back at Sawyer, silent as Beldum and the Bagon that insisted on following them paced after him.

"So, how does it feel to have saved the whole Hoenn region?" The Champion pulled off a friendly smile.

Sawyer gave him a sheepish grin back, rubbing his neck with unease. "I'm happy, though I don't think I helped that much."

"Don't sell yourself short, we won thanks to you and your Draconid friend. You should be proud of that."

Sawyer's smile glowed more than usual hearing that, only for guilt to make its way on his face as he faced the ground.

"I wish I didn't have to destroy the Flower to do that." The boy sighed. "It was still property of the Devon Corporation. I can't imagine how expensive it was to create..."

Steven shrugged. "In all honesty, its existence and keeping the prototype around are what led to all of this. I'm more than happy to think that it's gone forever." Then, the Champion smirked playfully. "I guess this is gonna make you win that bet with your friend, though."

"Nah, I don't think so. Even if I got famous for this, I'd not be famous as a _trainer_. I've still got a long road ahead for that." Sawyer fiddled with the notebook in his hands, and then smiled at Beldum and Bagon. "I'm glad for the friends I made today, though. I hope Ryuga will do well now."

"I'm sure he will." Steven's smile grew wider. Then, he rummaged through his pockets, and produced a small stone. "Here, have this. Consider it a present."

Sawyer observed the green stone in Steven's hands, with an orange and emerald helix shape shining in its center. And then the pieces fell in place, and Sawyer's mouth gaped open.

"Is this...?"

Steven nodded. "It's a Sceptilite, the Mega Stone required for a Sceptile to Mega Evolve, something I found in a recent spelunking session. You said you wanted a Treecko as your proper starter, right?"

"Y-yeah," Sawyer said, turning the other way in embarassment. "I can't accept it, sorry."

"The stone itself is not enough to gain access Mega Evolution, you'd still need a Keystone and unfortunately I don't have another one." Steven placed the Mega Stone over the boy's hands, holding it there. "Consider it more of an incentive, something to potentially obtain if you work hard enough for it."

Sawyer's gaze lingered back on the Sceptilite, and then to Steven as the boy gulped. "I don't know if I deserve it."

"You have plenty of time to earn it." Steven gave Sawyer another encouraging smile. "And if you manage to master Mega Evolution, then you can safely say to have become a great trainer."

Those words seemed to finally break through Sawyer's doubts as the boy observed the sparkling stone again. Then, the young student smiled and pocketed the stone, while giving a curt and respectful bow to Steven.

"Thank you, Mr. Stone." He placed a hand over his chest, smiling proudy. "I will do my best to study hard and become a great trainer."

Steven smiled back just as proudly, before his gaze moved to the Pokémon behind Sawyer. "Keep Beldum and Bagon with you. I'm sure some early Pokémon will do you well."

Sawyer seemed once again rather embarassed at that suggestion, and just then Beldum and Bagon tackled the boy into a hug, making their wishes clear. Sawyer's embarassment subsided quickly as he rubbed their heads, no hint of reluctance in his gestures. Steven chuckled as he faced the road again. Maybe he could have a chat with Birch regarding that Treecko Sawyer liked, too.

It took only a few minutes for them to reach the familiar sight of the Devon headquarters, thankfully undamaged from the outside and likely spared from further attacks by Team Zenith. The moment Steven and Sawyer paced inside, they were greeted by Roxanne, relief washing over her face as she strode closer.

"Finally! What happened, Steven?" the Gym Leader asked, an inquisive frown over her face as she went through Steven's ruined suit and the two Pokémon at Sawyer's side.

"It's a very, very long story. I will explain later." Steven exhaled, and then glanced around. "How has the rest of your class been?"

"They've been fine, a bit bored maybe, but the scientist branch was kind enough to show us some newly released products early while we waited." A brief grin formed on the teacher's face. "They seemed much more interested than I expected them to be."

"That's good to know. Maybe there will be some scientists among your students in the future."

"Or maybe they just wanted to brag to their friends that they saw the latest model of PokéNav early."

"Always ready to ruin my fun, huh." Steven crooked an eyebrow at her in mock nuissance.

Roxanne chuckled at his expense, and Steven noticed that even Sawyer barely held back a few snickers. He joined in with a happy grin of his own in response.

"Mister Stone!"

And then the grin melted away as he recognized the shrill voice. Steven turned around and froze in place as his father's secretary stomped towards him.

She jabbed her finger at him in frustration. "I finally found you! There are several documents that require your attention, alongside an important meeting in about-"

"Uhm, Roxanne, we promised the students a battle, right?" Steven asked, sweat pouring down his face as he gave Roxanne a pleading glance.

Roxanne understood, folded her arms, and nodded. "Yeah, we did."

"Well, we can't disappoint them now, can we?" Steven pulled off a slightly too wide smile as he not-so-subtly pushed Roxanne to walk forward. "I'll get to work on those later, I promise!"

"Mister Stone!"

Before the secretary's wrath could be unleashed on him, Steven walked further into the Devon headquarters to rejoin Roxanne's class with her and Sawyer, more than happy to put as much distance as possible from the evil paperwork awaiting him.

The students were more than happy to see the Champion again, and as Roxanne and Steven's promised battle began, none of them could look away as the Gym Leader and the Champion gave their absolute best against each other. As the battle raged on, Steven couldn't help but looking back at Sawyer and his newly acquired two Pokémon, wishing him the brightest future he could achieve and for him to improve even further. As the older generation, it was his, Roxanne and everyone else's duty to ensure them a bright path to walk through. It would've been a long process, and they would need to be patient through it.

But Steven Stone was many things. Too bad 'patient' wasn't one of them.

* * *

"And that was all. Those are all the events that transpired on Mt. Chimney that day," Steven said as he finished narrating his story, his gaze wandering around the state-of-the-art technology surrounding him.

The other man in the room frowned, his arms folded. "So this is the truth under the so-called 'Mt. Chimney Incident'. I had my ideas on what could've happened, but I didn't expect something like this."

"We were lucky no one else was ontop of Mt. Chimney that day. I don't like to classify information, but with all that happened we really didn't have any other choice." Steven steeled his gaze back at him. "I know my region enough to be aware someone would've tried to spin everything against the Draconids, and they really don't deserve more problems."

The man quirked his eyebrow at him. "You still think peace is possible between Sootopolitans and Draconids?"

Steven placed his hands in his pockets with nonchalance, and flashed to the other a confident grin.

"I'm sure of it, eventually. We need to trust the next generation to do a better job than we did." His grin morphed into a serious frown. "But to do that, we must ensure that we aren't the last of us."

"It's about that Megalith, right?"

"Correct." Steven's eyes went to the giant holographic map of their world spinning on itself. "Zevie's creation didn't last very long, but its power defied anything I've ever seen in my life. It was dangerous, and it could've done much more damage if it left Mt. Chimney. And according to the Draconid lore, there are a lot of those still around.

"I've decided to form a squad among the Devon employees and League staffers to search for those shards and secure them, before people like Zevie try to take advantage of them again. I believe they might be able to be used to make the world a better place, but we need to ensure the shards don't fall in the hands of other megalomaniacs."

"And why did you come for me, if I may ask?"

Steven smiled again as he observed the man from head to toe.

"You're one of the most well-known philantrophists around, and your generosity is unmatched. I also know that you believe we have a duty to improve the world." He stared back into his eyes with confidence. "I know that you refused to partner with my father, but I think you can see that this issue is far more pressing than estabilishing the Stone Foundation. You're the best person I can ask for help here."

He stretched his hand out to the red-haired man. "So, what do you say, Mr. Lysandre?"

The CEO of Lysandre Labs seemed to consider his proposal and hand, deep in thought. Just for a second, Steven thought that the man would've refused his offer, just like with his father's before him. However, the richest man in Kalos quickly smiled back at him as he shook his hand.

"I say that we can't allow to left these Megalith shards unchecked. You have my support, Steven Stone."

"Thanks." Steven's smile widened just a bit as he held the man's hand tighter. "Let's do our best, for a better future."

Lysandre grinned back at him. "Yes. For a better future."

* * *

 **And here is it, the completed Steven Interlude. In all honesty, I was debating if to split into four chapters instead of three, but there was no real good stopping point that wouldn't have made either chapter ridiculously short, so I preferred to go big and go for a 18000 plus words chapter to end this story on. I do hope the quality of the battle is worth the lenght, however: I did my best to capture the sheer scope and strategy of a League Champion and an evil Team Leader duking it out at full power, while also ensuring everyone played some role in the defeat. I thought it was appropriate to have Sawyer and Ryuga being the ones to pretty much save the day, given the biggest theme of the story is the coming of the new generation and what the old guard can do for them.**

 **Funnily enough, while I always aimed for a 'summer blockbuster' feeling for this Interlude, I never expected it to become my longest one-shot yet, but the scope required it and hope to have made it justice. It was quite fun to write the Megalith Mega Rayquaza and try to extrapolate how it could've potentially been (while keeping the vines to not make it In Name Only compared to the canon Megalith Zygarde), and in general I enjoyed writing the battle as a whole.**

 **The fact that there was another Aster and was the predecessor of Zinnia as Lorekeeper comes from an interview with GameFreak of some years ago, which confirmed who exactly Aster was, saying she was a Draconid with special powers, and I wanted to try to add it to the Resetverse, alongside explaining what was of Aster the Whismur here, somewhat deviating from canon but trying to keep elements of it intact. I wanted to basically spell out that Aster was a Dragon Heart Bloodliner, but there was no way to work it in too naturally without making the flashback longer than needed.**

 **I also hope you liked what I did with Zevie: I have several ideas in mind for Team Zenith still, and hope to develop them in due time, both regarding him and about Carly and Taylor on their own.**

 **I didn't originally plan on having Sawyer keep the shiny Beldum, but after some positive reception to the idea, I decided to have him keep it, while the Bagon was always meant to be the Reset version of Sawyer's canon one from the moment I introduced it early in the story.**

 **The Drakon mentioned in the story doesn't belong to me, but rather partner555. As to where it belongs from, you will see eventually, but he's gonna be an important element in one of his future stories.**

 **All in all, I don't really have too much to say that wasn't cover in the previous chapters, but I want to thank Crossoverpairinglover, Fox McCloude, edinosaur25, Apex85, AzureTemplar3535 and NoLife-sama for their kind reviews, and RandomificationChaotic Epicocity, AdvancedAlto, Wolflyn and all my Resetverse colleagues for their assistance throughout this endeavor. I plan to go for a few smaller stories for now to recharge a bit, but hopefully, they will be good reads. In any case, I thank anyone who read the whole Steven Interlude, and hope you enjoyed it and will keep enjoying my works.**

 **But, before leaving, here's a small extra scene that I wanted as part of the chapter due to involving a character that had a lot of relation with the current conflict but that I couldn't work in well in the ending flow. As such, consider this a sort of 'after credits stinger', a bonus scene, or just an alternate ending, still canon to the Resetverse. Hope you'll enjoy it!**

* * *

The giant tree of Sootopolis City was always a sight to behold. It had apparently been given to the citizens by a foreigner a long time ago, and had been there for far more than anyone in the island could remember. It was such a well-known part of the city to have become a frequent tourist spot for visitors and meeting spot for locals. Steven couldn't help but observe the tree as he finished narrating the tale to his friend.

"This is all that happened that day." Steven turned back to the turquoise-haired man at his side. "What do you think?"

Wallace simply gave him a smile and a chuckle. "You really have a knack for getting involved in strange adventures, don't you?"

"What can I say? One thing led to another, and that was the result." Steven shrugged. Wallace sighed and shook his head.

"Only someone like you could take that in stride." Wallace's eyes went back to the ancient tree, lingering over the branches. "So, Draconids, huh. I've thought a lot about them, ever since my master passed on the duties of the ancient Sootopolitans on me."

Steven's gaze turned firm. "You're the expert on these matters. What do you think?"

Wallace's playfulness disappeared completely at that question, staring at Steven with a serious and solemn gaze. The Champion could tell that he wasn't talking with his friend Wallace anymore, but rather Wallace the Sootopolitan, last in a long line of keepers of ancient legends related to the city and the Hoenn region.

"I think, with all due respect, that you might've underestimated the weight of history in the current situation." Wallace's eyes turned stern as he placed a hand on his hip. "This is not some black and white conflict like your squabbles with Team Zenith, or even Team Magma and Aqua. While Sootopolitans are certainly guilty of unspeakable sins, Draconids retaliated just as badly, with some of their numbers still trying to get revenge for what they caused.

"You saw it with the woman Zinnia, by what you told me. You can't just waltz in and pretend that you can bring peace between us and them like that, not when several descendants of the Sootopolitans have seen their loved ones killed, tortured or otherwise broken by members of the Draconid tribe. Those people have serious reasons to be wary of them."

Steven let Wallace's words linger in the air for a bit, but he never seemed conflicted over them. Instead, he simply stared back at Wallace with confidence.

"I'm well aware of the history of Draconids, especially with your little history lessons." Steven furrowed his brow as he continued. "I don't want to act like the past doesn't matter: it will always weigh on our choices and path, influencing it and tempting us into committing past mistakes. Neither Sootopolitans nor Draconids are innocent of the current situation, but what good would it have done to point that out? I tell you, absolutely nothing but perpetuate the cicle of hate.

"Someone has to take the first step towards forgiving the others, and I decided to take it. I'm well aware other Sootopolitans might disagree with my choices and I take full responsibility for my decisions, but as long as there's a chance to bring up a true peace, I'd make the same choices several times over."

As Steven's speech ended, Wallace continued to stare at his friend. After a brief pause, the solemn gaze was gone and a cheeky grin returned on the Coordinator's face. He chuckled once more, adjusting his bonnet. "You're always such an optimist. It is as inspiring as it is irritating."

"You know that getting on your nerves in my specialty." Steven folded his arms as he grinned back at him.

"Obviously." Wallace rolled his eyes in mock anger, before his smile "I am glad Hoenn gets to have a Champion like you, I don't think I would've been as qualified."

"Don't sell yourself short. You're still my designated replacement in case I need to go on a hiatus or step down, remember."

Wallace crooked his eyebrow at that. "Would you really trust a Contest Master to handle League duties appropriately?"

"Well, you do organize your own little Contest tournament regularly." Steven's smile turned just a bit more boastful. "Of course, I doubt you'd be able to defeat me."

"Is that a challenge, Mr. Pampered Heir?" Wallace narrowed his stare in a show of challenge.

Steven smirked back as he palmed one of his Poké Balls. "Well, I owe Claydol some action, so..."

Wallace stretched his fingers, barely holding back the excitement as he turned around towards the neaby bridge.

"Very well. I think my master can lend the Sootopolis Gym for us. Don't expect me to go easy on you, however," he said while staring back at Steven.

Steven's smirk only grew wider. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

And thus, the Champion and his friend walked out of their meeting spots, ready for yet another friendly battle between them.


End file.
